A Simple Touch
by Hisoka yume
Summary: People say this boy is special and that he can touch many hearts due to his kindness and caring in his personality, but the question is, what if he met a pure being of darkness who is the exact opposite of himself? Will the darkness devour the light, or will the darkness evaporate into light?
1. A New Born Heart

**Author's Note: Time period at the moment is slightly before Birth by sleep.**

* * *

**Ventus' Point-of-view**

"_**I remember that day… when he just tossed me away like trash…unwanted…useless…and had no intention to live any longer in his eyes…"**_

After the condition I'm in, I'm beginning to lose faith that I can withstand my existence any longer….my body was growing colder, vision was hazy, muscles were weak, everything was brutally falling apart right before my teary blue eyes…

Darkness…..everything that was surrounding me…was darkness…

It felt like there was no end, as I fell lifelessly, deeper… into the pit of the unknown abyss…

Within every moment…I felt like my life was slowly slipping away.

The only item that I had for sweet comfort was a soft silky white blanket. It was wrapped around my beaten body. The blanket was the only thing I had that was giving me comfort and most importantly warmth; I had it gripped tightly within my fingertips…I didn't want to lose it, like I had with everything else.

If only….if only if there was way I could have a second chance… a chance to peel away this tortures memory and start fresh; to start a new beginning leaving the rotten, bitterness and suffering I had in my life.

The old man I looked up to as my respected Master, was no more than a heartless brute…he never cared about me really…he only used me for his own gain and experimental research…that's why he left me here to die…when it came for me to not be of any use to him anymore…

As I continue to steadily drift deeper into the darkness, I then started to notice that my blanket was slowly evaporating from my grasp.

The comfort and its sweet warmth were leaving me…my eyes slightly widen in horror as I was seeing this dreadful sight happening….

But soon enough…my blanket completely evaporated into small fragments of light…leaving my body naked.

After a few seconds, I then suddenly stopped falling and began to float instead, so with whatever strength I had left, I used it to pick myself up into a sitting position.

Everything around me still felt quiet and empty, but as I then looked down beneath my feet, I saw a white platform appearing right before my eyes. I slowly straighten out my legs and within a second, I was floating down to the platform's hard, cold surface; landing safely on it.

"_What…what is this?" _I faintly whispered out to the air; fixed on the unknown sight I was standing on. _"Could…could this be my heart_?" I then kneeled down reaching out my hand, touching the surface of the platform with my fingers. As I moved my fingers across the surface, a crack started to emerge, I was puzzled, I didn't know what to do; I couldn't help, but stare blankly.

From here, the situation only got worse, as I got back up, I noticed more cracks were emerging and the noises of it breaking apart were being heard. I didn't do anything, except watch the pieces shatter right before my blank lifeless eyes. _"My heart is fractured…pretty soon there will be nothing left."_

As I was beginning to lose faith completely while seeing the pieces fall, I suddenly started to hear a faint noise from nowhere; I didn't really know where it was coming from. I turned from side to side, but didn't see anything, that is until I finally looked up from above.

What was shining below me, coming down was a small orb of light. I don't really understand why, but for some reason, in the sight of seeing it, it really brought out a warm pleasant smile on my face. _"Who are you?"_ I managed to say. _"I'm a newly born heart," _a small voice said within the small light. I was truly convinced to what it said since the voice sounded so young and innocent, like a child; a sweet innocent child. But then something popped in my head that really puzzled me in that moment.

"_But…then what are you doing here? This is my heart_," I said questionably, wanting an answer._ "I honestly don't know,"_ the light moved closer to me, _"I was lost and from out of nowhere, a small light was shining ahead of me, so I followed it and ended up here, meeting you." _I then slightly looked down at my broken platform and chuckled a little. He's just so innocent, I couldn't help, but give a small weak laugh; it was cute. _"Yeah…that was my light, but sadly now, my heart has been fractured,_" my smile quickly faded. _"And whatever I have left…is slowly slipping away."_

"_Well, what if I can help?"_ I heard him say; though it was completely unexpected for me, I didn't know if he really said it, or if I was dreaming at the moment, _"Huh?"_ I couldn't help, but say. After a few seconds, I then examined the platform again, and noticed the pieces that broke off were replaced with new ones; the platform was reconstructed as a whole. _"There, now nothing will leave your grasp again, I gave you a piece of my light to replace the pieces you have already lost, we are now connected," _the voice said in a happy tone.

"_I see," _because of the selfless act, I started to feel a change within my body; I was no longer feeling cold or weak, I was beginning to slowly revive back to the way I was before. _"And within time of healing, you'll be strong enough to win back the pieces you previously lost,"_ I then extended out my hands and the orb hovered in my two palms. Even though I wasn't really showing it, I was truly happy and grateful for what this child did for me, he gave me a second chance, if we ever happen to meet again, but face to face, I'll surely have to find a way to repay him for the gift he had given me. But for now, the only gratitude I could give at the moment were only to say two simple, yet meaningful words, _"Thank you,"_ I whispered smiling, holding the light dearly in my hands; since we were now connected, I could feel the warmth and purity of this child's heart; Saying thank you, doesn't even show enough how truly grateful I am for what he has done….one day….hopefully… we'll meet again.

* * *

**Vanitas' Point-of-view **

"_**I remember that day…when I finally gained an existence of my own; even though the face wasn't truly mine. It just represented the connection the two shared…"**_

I'm all alone in this empty wasteland…nothing great in this place is really worth talking about, but if I had to say something, this world is basically a graveyard.

Nothing really to see except old, rusted, abandoned keys thrust inside the ground; from every angle I would turn, that is all I would basically see.

I walked aimlessly in the field of abandon keys…thinking….remembering the moment when I was born into this world.

The first thing that came to mind in thinking about my birth…was Ventus. I find it oddly funny, since I don't really care much for anything, but when I was first separated from him and saw how broken he was…I couldn't help but feel sad and had pity for him; though at the time I didn't really show it.

Master said to me there was no hope for his return, so he ended up taking him to a place where he could die peacefully….I think the place he said was called…Destiny Islands. I kind of wanted to go with him to see my other weak half die off, but he told me to stay here, and wanted to do it alone; at first I was somewhat upset since Ventus is me,(to put it in more simpler terms), but I got over it quickly and let my Master be.

After all, Ventus was my old weak self; why would I care about a broken shell that is going to be dumped, taken by the tides of the ocean. So, I better not even waste my breath with him. It's best that I just continue with the new life I had already obtained for myself.

Since he's about to die, I'm no longer him in a sense, I don't really have his face, or any face of that matter…I'm just a piece that broke off…I'm nothing, but darkness. Even though I say I have a new life, I don't really have an existence to call my own in this world since I'm faceless; I'm just a shadow with red eyes.

Master brought me to this world, but as I walked deeper into the pathway, the same burning question keeps ringing in my head, _"What was his intention into creating me? What purpose do I have in this new life?" "What is my purpose?" _This question alone still kept pounding in my head, I wanted to know why, but I know I would have to figure it out myself since I know the Master won't tell me straight-forward.

As I continued to walk, I started to feel a little uneasy. _"Something…something isn't right,"_ I said under my breath; I then completely stopped in my tracks and slowly put my hand over my chest. For some unknown reason, I felt my heart beat was starting to race in a fast pace. "_What's…what's going on?" _I then turned my attention up above and saw that the clouds were blocking out the sun; everything around me was becoming strangely dark. After a few seconds, mysteriously, wind was starting to pick up as well; it started to blow hard against me.

The sudden weather change was really strange, what is going on?

My heart was racing in a rapid pace; it was to the point where I started to have trouble breathing. I was clinging onto my chest, while I then finally collapsed to my knees on the ground. It felt like if someone was squeezing or suffocating me; I tried to fight through this unexpected pain, but the way things were going, I felt like I was at the peak of passing out.

I wasn't truly aware of it, but while I was down to my knees, a light was swirling around my body. What was happening? This question kept repeating over and over while I was feeling the excruciating pain. And just when I thought I was going to black out, I started to hear faint voices in the back of my head.

"_Yeah…that was my light, but sadly now, my heart has been fractured and whatever I have left…is slowly slipping away."_No doubt in my mind that the voice belonged to Ventus, it was the other voice I was questionable about, "_Well, what if I can help_?" I heard the voice say to him. After that, I couldn't hear them anymore; their voices disappeared, out of my reach.

***Eventually Vanitas then passed out...**

It took me time…but I finally remembered where I was and what happened to me. As I slowly woken up, I found that I was lying on the ground; I guess after hearing their voices I finally passed out. It must have been quite a number on me since as I was getting up; I saw my helmet was on the ground. I no longer felt the pain earlier, though I still felt a little drowsy, "_My_ _head_…," I muttered, putting my hand on top of it.

Though as I did, something wasn't right, being a shadow of darkness, I'm not really suppose to feel anything, yet as I touched my head, I was feeling something soft through my finger tips. The more I moved my hand around, the more I was beginning to think it was hair that was on my head. This was really strange…

I then turned my attention to my faceless exterior and slowly put my hands over it. Again, it was strange. I was feeling something smooth and it was giving off warmth; it was skin…actual human flesh. I was extremely confused; I don't remember my existence ever being like this. I then turned my attention to my helmet on the ground; it's the closes thing I got to a mirror due to its dark glass, so I pick it up and faced it towards me. As I did, my eyes widen in shock.

At first as I looked through the glass, the person I saw in the reflection looked like a total stranger to me; I wasn't completely convinced that this person was me. But after a while of slowly taking it in, I accepted it. I finally had a face, I'm actually a real person; I'm not a shadow anymore; through the reflection of the helmet, the appearance that I have now resembled a teenage boy just like Ven. I had slightly pale skin, my eyes were yellowish color instead of red, and my hair was black. So…this is my new self.

But something still didn't click in my head as I was getting back on my feet. I sense that Ventus is still alive; his light hadn't gone out like Master said it would. I then looked at my new face again, that voice….that person I heard earlier…could he be the one who prevented Ven from fading? He must have, what other logic explanation can I come up with, whoever this person is that saved Ven, must have something really special. He probably did more unknowingly, I then touched the warmth of my cheek…this person gave me a face. _"Who…is this person?"_

It won't hurt to meet him, but if I ever do, I wonder what will come out of it between us, Will I thank him for saving Ven and giving me a face, or will I do the opposite, and abhor the fact that he saved something completely worthless to me.

"_Who is this boy?"_


	2. More like Brothers

"_**Do you hear it…the sound of the calm waves?"**_

"_Who is this boy...?"_

* * *

**Vanitas' Point-of-view**

As I could recall, it has only been a few days since Ven came back into my life... ever since when the mysterious boy made the connection.

I still remember what happened clearly that day, after I'd fully adjusted to my new self.

_**Flash Back**_

I was still standing in the middle of the pathway, looking down at the helmet in my hands. As of that particular moment, I couldn't stop thinking about the voice; the voice sounded so innocent and elegant, it almost seemed like it can compare to an angel, but more less, I knew it was a child since the voice was so small. The more I thought about the voice, the more curious I was. I had this sudden urge that I wanted to go to the world where the connection happened and see this child for myself.

What makes him so special?...Why did he help Ven?...but most importantly I wanted to know who he was and what did he look like….Though while I was thinking about this in my head, I faintly started to hear soft sounds of foot-steps coming my way. No doubt in my mind it was my Master and Ven. I turned my attention away from the helmet and looked across my direction. At first, I didn't really see much of whom it was; the only thing I could see were two vague shadows walking towards me.

But after a while, their appearances came into view and in that instant, I knew I was right, it was my Master and my other broken half, Ventus. Though as he came closer and closer to me, I sensed there was something completely off about his being; he still had the white blanket on the Master gave him, but that wasn't it, as I examined his face closer, I then noticed how beaten and wasted he was, he had no facial expressions what so ever, just a dull blank stare, and his eyes were still at the peak of being empty and lifeless. It's like if he died and then came back to life; like a zombie.

The boy indeed successfully stopped Ven from dying, but he some-what failed to completely heal him as he was in his original state; it will truly take a huge amount of time before Ven is fully healed; the shattered pieces are slowly mending themselves together little by little.

"_Well we're back, it turned out he will live after all,"_ my Master said kind of happy. Though of course just by looking at Ven, I couldn't really picture the sight of seeing him getting better, even though I knew for a fact he will in time. "_Can he still talk?"_ I said having a bit of concern in my voice. He then extended out his hand to him, indicating for me to try to communicate to see if he could respond.

I then gently put my helmet down to the ground and got a little closer to Ven, _"Hey, you heard my name before, but I'll say it again, my name is Vanitas. Can you say it?" _He then motioned his eyes towards me, staring blankly without saying a single word. He was starting to get on my nerves, if he was strong, he wouldn't really be acting this way; he could at least talk to me, though I tried again, "_Can you say my name?" _I said slower, though he was still silent and his movements hadn't changed; his eyes were still locked on me. I didn't know why he was staring at me like this, but it was really annoying me, I wanted him to quite looking at me with those broken, weak eyes.

Without really knowing it, my teeth were starting to grid while my small anger was starting to develop fast into a frustrated state. This shell is worthless and broken….broken enough to not even talk, why was he saved in the first place; he is truly a weakling, I can't even bear to look upon him anymore…..My hand immediately turned into a fist and without a second of hesitation or regret, I hit him in the face.

Ven immediately fell to the side landing hard on the ground, moaning in pain. At the sight of seeing him this vulnerable, I couldn't help, but definitely take advantage of this moment; Ven had already suffered enough and is worthless, so might as well just put him out of his misery. I don't know what the child was thinking when he saved this pathetic shell from drowning in the ocean; figuratively speaking.

So with the obtained memories I had from Ven, I summoned a key-blade in my hand and slowly raised it at him. As I was about to strike, I immediately stopped when my Master got in front of him. At this point I didn't care if he was superior than me; I just wanted him out of my sight so I can get rid of the weakling, _"Move!_" I yelled. _"Save your energy, I guarantee you will be needing it soon, I have a plan in store for Ven, just give him time to heal," _he said trying to persuade me into not killing him, even though I really wanted to. But I felt like I owed him one since he was the one who brought me into existence, the least I can do is obey him….well at least just once.

I then took a deep breath and slowly lowered my weapon. _"Good, we should really be going now," _my Master said bending down. Even though I didn't like where this was going, I had no choice in words, but to agree, _"Yeah, I think I've been here long enough,_" I said while my Key-blade vanished out of sight. As I was some-what calm now, I faced my attention on Ven lying on the ground. It seemed that my physical contact with him made him start feeling again; though he was mostly filled with fear and pain; fear, because I hurt him and he thinks I'll do something more, and pain due to the impact and small bleeding he had on his lower lip. His eyes were dull and empty previously, but now they're portraying fear.

I had no regret what so ever on what I did, but for some reason, the two words that people usually say at the sign of showing regret, escaped from my lips. I kneeled down to Ven looking down at him, _"I'm sorry…"_ I whispered to him, making sure Master didn't hear me; I didn't want him or anyone in this matter to know for a second that I had a soft spot; this will be the first and last time those words will ever come across my lips.

As my Master was helping him up, I saw that his eyes motioned again looking at me; by the look in his eyes, it seemed like he accepted my apology since they weren't consumed with fear anymore, there was more of a twinkle in his eye instead. At this point I really felt like I wanted to kick myself since I was soft in that moment; I was showing kindness and pity for the weakling. I'm truly disgusted with myself for that, I had become like him again….but no more, I don't want to be this way, I want to be strong, more powerful than him. Could this be why my Master brought me into existence? So I can be better than Ven? Still thinking at the thought, but this is my solution for now.

While Master had Ven up standing again, I then got back on my own feet and walked over to retrieve my helmet that I had abandon for a few minutes. I ended up putting it on as a dark corridor was opening behind me. As I turned, I saw that my Master had created it. _"Shall we?" _he said. The three of us then walked in leaving the dreadful wasteland behind. We were heading to a temporary home, where we would be staying for the time being.

_**End of Flash Back**_

And ever since that day, I have been the one who would be taking care of Ven, since Master is busy with things I don't really know about. Like I said earlier, it has only been a few days, but the way I'm progressing at the moment, it feels like it has been years, I feel like I want to pull my hair out since I have to nurture this neophyte.

I…I just can't stand caring for this weakling….Like that day I was close to killing him, that same feeling alone always creeps up inside me every time I'm with him; I want to hurt him….break him even more; though with Master's strict orders, I have to fight myself to stay in control of my actions to keep Ven alive as instructed.

In the world we were staying in, it was already night-time. The night was young, the stars were shining; I had to admit, it did look rather beautiful as I would look at them through my window, clearing my thoughts. Of course, usually I would do this without really having my helmet on. Since things were quiet at the moment and my Master was out, I couldn't help but think this would be the perfect opportunity for me to travel; to go to….Destiny Islands to see what it is like, and most importantly, to see the child, and besides I have been cooked up here babysitting…so I kind of need a little break.

But after a few seconds, a simple knock broke the silence in my room. I turned my attention away from the window to the door, without a single word, the door slowly opened, revealing it to be Ven; by the look in his face, I guess he wanted some company and got tired of being alone in his room. _"V-Van?" _he softly uttered. He was still broken, but he was at least trying to speak. _"Yes, what is it?" _I asked trying to hide my hatred towards him. I saw that he then slightly looked down playing with his hands, I guess he couldn't really make out the words he wanted to say.

"_Well, just forget it," _I said waving my hand, then unexpectedly, a thought then came to me, maybe in doing this, it might put him to sleep…that way I could leave, _"Why don't you just sit here and watch the stars, I'm pretty sure they'll put you at ease," _I said pointing at the window. He had a little bit of confusion in his face, when I said it. I guess he doesn't remember that he always loved gazing at the stars every night before he would go to bed. Master told me when he split us apart, it affected Ven's memory in the process; in translation he doesn't remember anything period. I guess I would have to help him little by little since I have most of his memory; we're the same person after all, or more like brothers now since we're co-existing.

I then patted an empty spot on my bed beside me, _"Come on, I promise I won't hurt you," _even though in the back of my head I really wanted to. After a few seconds, he then slowly made his way and got on my bed sitting close to the window. "_See, look out there, up in the sky, they're stars, aren't they beautiful?" _Even though these aren't my choices of words, I said them since I was trying to put him at ease so he would eventually fall asleep.

Ven then crawled a little more closer to the window and saw out, one of his hands were touching the cool surface of the glass. By the look in his empty eyes, I could guarantee that he was fascinated by the stars; after all, they represented peace and light much like himself, not really me because of my dark nature. _"They're….p-pretty," _he managed to say, though still in a soft low voice. _"Yeah," _I blandly said not really looking at him; I was fighting the sudden urge to hurt him again. At this rate, I'm beginning to think if Ven staying with us is really a good thing, what if at some point I'll snap; then there will be no hope for his revival. In order for him to live and be safe, he would have to be raised somewhere else…I'll probably have to tell my Master about this soon, but for now I'll have to keep this up.

Quite some time had passed, and as it got darker, I then noticed that Ven eventually dosed off. He practically fell asleep on my bed, I then smacked the back of head, _"Rrrrrgghh…don't tell me I have to carry him back to his own bed?" _Just thinking about it really made me sick, but since I was the babysitter, I forcefully had to.

After a while, I finally made it to his room carrying him in my arms. As quietly as I could, I slowly made my way to his bed and then gently put him there. Ven was still fast asleep. I then grabbed the covers from the end and pulled them forward; tucking him in. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine without me here for at least an hour or so…I definitely need some time for myself or else I'll probably explode. "_Goodnight…_" I said patting him on the head; I didn't really like doing this, but I did it anyway.

After that was over, I quietly made my way out the door and went inside my room. I walked over and got my helmet that was on the floor and put it on. _"Time to go…" _Without another word, I extended out my hand and opened a dark portal leading to the mysterious Destiny Islands… I wonder how this world will be like? It could have been my imagination, but as I was walking through, I could hear the calm sounds of the waves from the ocean.


	3. A Peaceful Place

"_**Darkness is always drawn to the light one way or another, why? To simply consume it…"**_

* * *

**Vanitas' Point-of-view**

I slowly walked into the dark portal I created; I saw nothing ahead of me, but darkness. As I walked deeper, I heard from a distance that the portal closed in back of me. Slowly, within every step I took, I could faintly hear the sound of the waves from an unseen ocean.

Since I was traveling in-between and wasn't particular anywhere, I was more likely thinking that what I was hearing was basically my imagination; though it was kind of hard to say so, since the soft soothing sound seemed completely real in my perspective.

As I continued to walk deeper and deeper, far ahead, I started to see a faint light appear from a distance. No doubt I have finally reached my destination; the world was right in my reach. As I got closer, the light started to grow, eventually with each step I took, the light turned into a portal; as it did, I simply went right in and immediately was transported into another world. As I stepped out, the dark portal closed once again behind me.

Since this was another world, the time frame was different. As I looked up at the horizon, I registered in my head that it was day time now. The sun was shining beautifully up in the heavenly sky. _"So…this must be Destiny Islands,"_ I said under my breath; I then turned my attention to my feet. As I moved one of my feet along the ground I was standing on, I noted that it was sand due to it being soft and smooth. Since this place is so small and calm, I can start to see why my Master brought Ven here when he was dying; this place is peaceful and beautiful enough for a person to spend their last moments, or more likely for me, to spend time here to unwind troubling thoughts and just relax.

After a while, I then started to walk forward and looked at the entire picture. This is only part of the world, I didn't know it for a second, but from where I'm standing, this place is just a small piece of land; an island. As I looked ahead over the ocean, I could see another larger land from a far, I couldn't really get a clear view, but from where I could see, there were a few shapes of small buildings; to my conclusion, over there must be the real world where most of the people live.

I kind of wanted to get a closer look of the small town, so from a distance; I made my way on to another small piece of land to try to get a closer view. The piece I was standing on was accompanied by a bent tree, so without really thinking about it, I sat on its trunk, and looked out. I was still some-what far from the town, but I could slightly see better; the view was actually pretty nice and relaxing.

After a while, I then finally took off my helmet and immediately felt the breeze of the wind hitting my face; it actually felt good as it was going through my hair. I then slowly put the helmet down beside me as I then continued to admire the scenery. Though since I was sitting on the tree, something about it caught my attention, I found it kind of odd, but the tree had some-kind of fruit attached to it, it was odd because the fruits were shaped like stars. My eyes widen in seeing the sight of the mysterious fruit; what was it…never in my short life, or in Ven's memories I've seen this particular fruit before; I mean really, they're shaped like stars.

I then slowly reached out my hand and grabbed one of the fruits, pulling it out from the tree. The star fruit was now in the palm of my hands; it was slightly small, and yellow, along with a couple of small green leaves sticking out from the tip. In seeing this, I couldn't help, but remember Ven again since he was briefly looking at stars a while ago.

**Flash Back**

_"Why don't you just sit here and watch the stars, I'm pretty sure they'll put you at ease," _I said pointing at the window. Ven had a bit of confusion in his face when I said it. I guess he doesn't remember that he always loved gazing at the stars every night, before he would go to bed. I then patted an empty spot on my bed beside me, _"Come on, I promise I won't hurt you," _even though in the back of my head I really wanted to. After a few seconds, he then slowly made his way and got on my bed sitting close to the window. "_See, look out there, up in the sky, they're stars, aren't they beautiful?" _Even though these aren't my choices of words, I said them since I was trying to put him at ease so he would eventually fall asleep. Ven then crawled a little more closer to the window and saw out, one of his hands were touching the cool surface of the glass. "_They're….p-pretty," _he managed to say.

**End of Flash Back**

Yeah…only time will tell what will happen to him…even though I couldn't care less, I kind of wonder what my Master has in store for Ven. After a few seconds of thinking about it, I then finally put the fruit close to my face and took a bite out of it. The taste was extraordinary as I was chewing it; it was sweet, and very good, kind of hard to describe it actually since I never tasted it before. Though the question still floated around in my head, "_What is this fruit?"_ After I finally swallowed the first bite, I then took another. It was awfully quiet on this island since I was the only one here, or so I thought.

As I slightly moved my head to the side, from a distance, I suddenly saw a young woman standing on the edge of a small wooden bridge; at the bottom of it, small wooden boats were provided. The woman looked like if she was in her mid-twenties, she had striking blue eyes, resembling the color of the sky; she also had dark loose black hair, and a long white dress provided with plain sandals. But what really made me curious was what she was holding in her arms. So I immediately got up, put on my helmet, and walked closer to the woman inconspicuously.

From where I was hiding, I could now see her and what she was holding more clearly; in her arms was something wrapped in a small blue blanket. I saw that she was smiling down towards it and with one of her hands, she slowly unraveled the top, revealing a face; it was a baby she was holding. As the infant's face was finally revealed, I could see what it looked like, the baby's eyes had blue eyes also, but its hair was brownish color instead of black. By the look of the woman's smile, I figured that the baby was her child. _"My precious baby boy…."_ I heard her whisper to her son.

"_A boy, I wonder?" _Could that new-born be the one who saved Ven? The more I thought about it, the more questionable I was, I guess I wasn't too sure since it was an infant; but it's like what people say, anything is possible, so it could be. Then that's when I examined his features more closely; he was cute and innocent like any baby would be, but when I really got a good look at him, I then came to my conclusion….he was the light that saved Ven and gave me a face; what gave it away was obviously on how he looked, yes he was young, but when I looked at him, I saw myself….he gave me his face…but older in appearance. I honestly didn't really know what to think when I made this discovery. I mean... I have a face of a soon to be good person, and I'm basically rotten due to my dark nature.

After a while, I then saw that the mother held him up close to her; his head was resting on one of her shoulders. _"Pretty soon, when you're a little older, I'll take you here again, so you can actually play here on this beautiful island," _she said gazing over the ocean. After seeing this, I can start to see why he, of all people, was the one who made the connection, it might be me foreshadowing, but I sense that his light within his heart is strong enough to help anyone who may need it in the near future. His light is so great….that I'm drawn to it… to diminish it; after all, it is in darkness' nature to consume anything pure, hence why I always feel like I want to choke Ven to death. But doing it to an infant?

I'll probably wait until he's a little older, _"The more the light grows, the tastier it will be when I consume it." _And it could be me, but something about him, reminds me of Ven, I don't really know what actually, but there is something there the two have alike, maybe that's why he saved him, not only because of kindness, but because they're alike in some way, like brothers.

After a while, I then slowly started to walk to another direction, though I immediately stopped in my tracks when I heard noises coming from the baby. He was looking at me the whole time; he knew I was here. _"Huh? What is it Sora?"_ I heard the mother say; I then immediately hid in the dark shadows within the trees; I was still there looking at him and the mother, but she didn't see me, though the child still knew I was here since he kept on making noises. It seemed like if he was fascinated by me, like if he wanted to come with me, or at least he wanted to be carried by me. I even saw that one of his small hands was reaching out towards me.

I then saw that the mother was facing my direction, but then quickly turned her attention back to him, _"Honestly, I don't know what has gotten into you all of a sudden," _she said trying to calm him down. "_But I guess it's time to go…it's time for your nap anyway," _she continued. _"Come on," _she then started to walk off the bridge and headed to another direction. As I continued to face the two, I noticed that the child was still staring at me, though he eventually stopped crying, the last thing I saw before he vanished, was that there was a twinkle in his eye….similar to Ven, I couldn't help, but just wave good-bye, after that I never saw the two anymore, I was once again alone.

I then slightly looked down upon my feet and chuckled, _"Don't worry, I guarantee you will be seeing me again…..Sora. _Then I gave a small sigh, _"Well, I guess I have been out long enough, time for me to get back into taking care of my own baby,_" I said disgusted. Then I looked back at the tree with the star-shaped fruit, "_But before I go, might as well get a snack for him."_

So without another word, I got a piece for Ven, made a portal, and headed back home. Luckily my Master still wasn't there when I had arrived.

I quietly went back into Ven's room and saw that he was still peacefully asleep, so without really saying anything, I quietly put the fruit on a nearby table close to him. He'll figure it out that it is edible when he wakes up and sees it. After the deed was done, I then went back to my room and prepared myself to go to sleep as well…it has really been a long day for me. Wonder what the next day will bring?


	4. Emotions

**Author's Note: Time period-during Birth by Sleep**

* * *

"_**Darkness can't be all that bad…what if it just needed a friend…maybe things would have been different if this was possible…"**_

* * *

**Vanitas Point-of-view**

**Four Years Later**

It has been a while since I been to this peaceful place…all through the past few years, I would be going to the Key-blade graveyard instead…but now I'm here waiting for Ven.

I was in Destiny Islands, sitting once again on the tree trunk, just looking over at the ocean with my helmet on. How things are progressing right now with my Master's plan, I don't really know what to think anymore…the only thing that I was probably more focused on in my life…was forging the _x_-blade…For one reason only…salvation.

Master said to me that forging the _x_-blade with Ven, will help me obtain the salvation I crave desperate for... ever since I started to leak out this dark power I can hardly endure. I then raised my hand examining it.

"_The dark power of extracting harsh, negative emotions from others….including myself….though at the time of those creatures birth…I had no control over it..They would just keep appearing."_

Those creatures are called…Unversed.

**Flash Back**

It actually has been quite a while since I've last seen Ven, Master finally listened to me when I said that he and I couldn't really be together; it was really for the best if he really wanted Ven alive for whatever he was planning.

I was basically sitting over the edge of a cliff, looking over at the field of abandon keys with my helmet placed to the side.

As my eyes were locked on this harsh sight, for some reason I kept having this high tension of rage build up inside my body. I mean, I had many things floating around in my mind and I was just frustrated thinking about them. All this trouble, for a weakling like Ven, he shouldn't even be alive, yet he is….and I want to be better than him, to be stronger than him…I believe now that my purpose in this world is to be strong….yet I feel like there is something holding me back….possibly fear, since I don't really know exactly what will become of me now since Ven isn't with us anymore. I don't know why….but…I'm…just so angry….all these emotions I have dwelled inside me.

Then without really knowing it, I felt some kind of power within me awaken; dark aura was surrounding my body.

After a while, I motioned my eyes and saw that a small piece of darkness was floating out from my body landing on the ground.

I didn't know what to think when I was seeing this happening, but eventually, the darkness that was surrounding me finally faded.

I put my hand over my chest breathing hard after the unexpected event happened, I actually felt pain when this unknown being started leaking out from my body. What just happened?

After I quickly healed from the pain, I then turned my attention to the small darkness that was with me. The darkness slowly started to form into some-kind of creature…I didn't really know what it was, but it was indeed something. The creature revealed its red eyes along with changing into the color blue; it actually looked like some kind of bug when it moved around.

I examined it more closely and thought. This being came from within me. It came from the emotion I was feeling at the moment. After a few seconds of looking at it, I made a disgusted face. This worthless little thing came from me!…from what weak emotions I was giving off...This creature clearly states my weakness and I hate being weak…I can't allow that…I want to be strong.

Without another word, I did the unthinkable and destroyed the creature with my bare hands; its existence was no more, yet as it faded, I immediately started to feel pain in my body again. It actually felt like if someone stabbed me with a knife. The emotion of the being I destroyed flew right back inside my body, I know, since I could feel the emotion at the same time of trying to endure the pain.

This alone really made me angry again…and to my surprise, another one of those dreadful things were created. It was standing in the same place as the other one I previously diminished. My eyes widen in horror…I didn't know what to think of this…."

**End of Flash Back**

From that point on, my existence was just a never ending cycle of pain and suffering….I wanted to escape from it…to be free from it. That's why I'm so desperate into getting the _x_-blade; it's the soul key for me being free from this tormenting nightmare. At this point…nothing…and I mean nothing matters to me, but only that one thing. I couldn't care less for anything or anyone; and speaking of the word anyone, in that moment. I started to sense someone nearby, jumping the gun, I thought at first it was Ven, but after a while…I knew it was another….

"_The light was familiar to me, though the only difference was that it has grown.."_

Without a doubt, I knew that it was Sora that I sensed nearby…

Even though my face couldn't be seen due to the helmet…a wicked smile came across my face. It all just seemed to perfect…I'll get a chance to finally take out the boy as well as obtain the _x_-blade when Ven arrives. I'll be taking out two lights, I couldn't care less anymore.

"_Sora, consider it as payback for bringing back something I don't really have value for, after all, if Ven doesn't pull through for my goal…I already have another person lined up that is better suitable." _

I looked over from a distance and finally saw a small figure walking on the same small wooden bridge I saw long ago. _"Right, on time,"_ I muttered facing the figure.

As I motioned myself a little closer, I could see the figure more clearly, I made a slight smile, _"Even though he has grown a little more, he still hadn't changed a bit the first time I saw him." _As far as I could see, he was a very small child; the only thing that was different about him was obviously what he was wearing, he basically had a simple white shirt with red shorts, and sandals. I saw that he eventually sat down on the edge and admired the scenery having a warm innocent smile on his face.

It was so sweet I almost felt like I wanted to throw up. I practically already outgrew all these happy emotions at this point…I didn't even care if he is still a child; I wanted to get rid of him. But then a thought occurred to me now that I was seeing him, _"If his light is so great?" _then I looked at my hand,_ "I wonder what will happen if I use my dark power on him. Might as well since he's alone, which I find it quite odd since he's still young, but whatever." _

But since I was still lost in thought, the boy caught me by surprise. _"Hey!" _I heard him say cheerfully. He was looking up above at me; I was on my knees on another bridge that was connected to the small land where the tree was. I had no idea how he came to me so fast since he was far away a while ago. I practically fell off the bridge and landed hard on the surface of the sand; it was quite humiliating in my perspective, but as I was slowly getting up, I could hear him giggling.

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you okay mister? _I saw that he had a concern look on his face immediately. "_Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it,"_ I said while taking off my helmet, getting up to my knees. I then lowered the helmet to the side and rubbed the back of my head. _"Good, for a second there, I thought you were hurt, I'm glad that you said you're okay," _he said having a smile on his face.

Yep, no doubt like I said before, he is quite similar to Ven, _"So, uh, not that I'm trying to run you off but, didn't your parents tell you, you shouldn't be talking to strangers, or better yet, not to scare them?"_ I said to him. He chuckled a little then spoke, _"Well of course my parents told me that, but…something tells me that you're not a total stranger…I don't really know why, but…I just feel it." _I thought for a moment, he must be unknowingly referring to the day when he first saw me in this place…he was an infant and infant's usually have vague memories, so he doesn't truly remember me…only the feeling of it remained. Might as well just play along and treat this as our very first meeting.

"_Oh, well, so we won't be strangers, what's your name, if you don't' mind me asking?" _I said_;_ even though in the back of my head I already knew his name. He then gave a big smile, _"Well my name is Sora, and what's yours?" _he asked happily. _"Vanitas,"_ though by the look on his face, it seemed like if he had trouble pronouncing it. _"Van-neee-tuss," _he said. _"Huh, you can just call me Van, its fine," _I said smiling.

And in that moment, my eyes widen in shock of what I just did….I smiled with happiness…I wasn't expecting it at all, but it just came to me like if it was nothing; the boy's good heart is truly affecting me. Maybe…maybe this was the good time to see what will happen if I affected him with my power…what will be the result?

"_Hey, can you do me a little favor and close your eyes?" _I said to him. _"Uh..okay," _he then slowly closed them. Now to see… this child has a strong light, but the question is, how much darkness can I extract from him to make an Unversed?

I then slowly raised my hand and gently rested one of my fingers on his chest. At this point, he was mine, after the process is done; he will be oblivious to what had happened to him. Dark aura was slowly appearing around his small body, his eyes were now half –open, but they were lifeless and the eye color was darker blue.

As far as I could see, as the dark aura was swirling around him, a small piece of darkness broke off and landed on the ground. It basically informed me that this boy portrays himself as being pure due to his personality, but within all that kindness, a small piece of darkness still lingers inside his heart. Possibly within time, I could probably make it grow, making him change into someone completely different.

As the deed was finally done, Sora then closed his eyes again, and completely collapsed, though I caught him in my arms; he was now sleeping. I then turned my attention to the small darkness that was in front of me; it changed to blue and started to form into a small type of animal. Eventually, after a while, it revealed itself to be a small cat. First time I ever seen this type of Unversed, but I just went with it. The creature still had the features of a regular Unversed, hence the color skin and the demented red eyes, but its behavior was surprisingly different to me.

The way it was moving around, it seemed like if it wanted to play, like if it was actually a pet, rather than an uncontrollable monster; the cat was acting friendly. At first, I didn't know what to make out of this particular case since Unversed usually are based on negative emotions, hence why they act wild and attack people. It seemed like for Sora, the exact opposite happened, I clearly took negative emotions from him, but since they were so small, the dark emotions reversed, changing them into positive emotions; though it still kept the appearance of a normal Unversed.

As I still had Sora in my arms, I then saw that the cat made its way towards me; it started to rub itself against my body purring. I then turned my attention back to Sora, "_You really are a wonder…"_ I whispered. _"I guess, I'll keep you alive a little while longer…" _But right now, I definitely have bigger fish to fry; I'll take care of Ven first before I take care of Sora.

Then in that moment, I started to hear a voice from a distance; it sounded like an adult, I was assuming it must have been one of Sora's parents since the voice was calling out to him. So I immediately set Sora down on the sand, got the Unversed, my helmet and hid once more in the shadows. The figure revealed itself to be a young man; due to him having short brown hair and blue eyes also, I was more likely thinking it must be the father since I remembered I saw the mother last time.

He looked down and smiled at his son, _"Oh, silly boy, must have dosed off again,"_ he then kneeled down and picked up Sora. Without another word the two left. _"Well glad that's over," _I said letting go of the Unversed walking out from the shadows. I then finally put my helmet once again back on. _"If we ever meet again, he clearly won't remember me, or this meeting we had after what I did." _

After a while, I then looked at the Unversed, kind of pointless to have this one around since it was just a test. So without hesitation, I summoned my Key-blade and strike at the creature; its existence was eliminated, though since it was based on positive emotions, I didn't feel the familiar pain every time one of these things is destroyed._ "What a shame it had to go…" _I said coldly.

Pretty soon after that, I made my way back to the tree trunk and sat there, waiting for Ven once more. Though it didn't take long now since I sensed that he was coming. So I slowly walked over taking the path of the wooden bridge again and in that moment, I saw a portal open; Ven came flying out and landed hard on the surface of the sand. It's about time he made it; I was beginning to lose my patience; though as I was walking closer, I saw that he quickly got up and yelled, _"Wait, Terra!" _I heard him say, he immediately ran towards the portal, but it vanished before he could get through; at this point I was already below him, watching him.

I saw that his hand slowly motioned towards his armor; he was going to leave, but I couldn't allow it. _"And just where do you think you're going?"_ I snapped at him. He immediately turned and acknowledged me, though with a disgusted face. _"I don't have time for you!"_ he snapped back; he then immediately started to walk away from me, but I continued to talk, _"Why run away? Why not just face the fact and become what you were destined to become….let's forge the x-blade right here and now," _he stopped in his tracks, but didn't respond.

"_Master said the x-blade will be created if you and I fight, well guess what, I'm not fighting," _he then turned and looked directly at me with those determined eyes. But I just couldn't help, but laugh; though I didn't really do it. _"You use to be too broken to even talk back," _I said. _"Well, why not we just finish this in an appropriate place for the x-blade's creation…The Key-blade Graveyard…there you're going to see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua, then let's see how long you will play the pacifist," _I said to him coldly. Without another word, I immediately open a portal and vanished, the last thing I heard was Ven's voice.

"_Wait, come back!" _


	5. Tears to None

**Author's Note: Ending of Birth by sleep**

* * *

**Vanitas' Point of view**

"_**It honestly felt like a dream come true…the power was running through my veins…it…it felt great….though in the end…the dream was brutally shattered." **_

It truly felt like I lost everything….everything I did to get to this point…had practically burst into flames right before my eyes….all I wanted was nothing more than salvation…but Ven…he refused to give in completely; his intention was to sacrifice us both in order to save those two people he calls his friends.

* * *

It all began here….when his heart was shattered and once restored…

Like I always do, I was hiding in the dark abyss, eyeing at my target with my new incomplete weapon in hand. I successfully took over his body, but his mind is still far out of my reach…he refused to give in.

He was there…lying unconscious on the hard surface of the platform. No use holding back now, with this power and the body in my control, I can now break him…after all these years of waiting, I finally have my chance…to kill him.

After a few seconds, I saw that he had finally woken up; as he was getting up, I saw in his face that he looked rather confused in where he was, but when he sees me, I'm pretty sure that alone will clear it up without me having to tell him.

"_Our union was not finished," _I spoke; unraveling from the darkness. He turned and faced me. _"The x-blade shouldn't stay broke like this. Join me now, so we can complete the x-blade!" _I then pointed the weapon directly at him, though I wasn't surprised to his response. He closed his eyes and shook his head, indicating that he still refused; he then summoned his own weapon. He looked at me with those same determined eyes, _"I got a better idea, how about I destroy you both!" _he yelled.

I laughed at his pathetic response, _"The x-blade is made from your heart too you idiot, If you destroy the x-blade, your heart will be shattered into pieces," _I said to him. Though by the look in his eyes, I could see that his intentions still hadn't changed; his mind was set and had no further intention to be manipulated by me any longer. He is willing to destroy me, so might as well destroy him, the way my existence is developed, I personally can guarantee that it will withstand without Ven for a long amount of time; if it's the other way around, he truly won't survive and will die; in translation, if I go, he goes.

"_Whatever it takes….anything to save Terra and Aqua," _he said. Though I was repulsed by his response; Terra this, Aqua that, I'm beyond sick of hearing those two names. It's like whatever I had done for him when he couldn't even function, didn't matter; all those early memories were basically lost, I'm really sick of this!

Without another word, due to my frustration, I immediately charged at him and grabbed him by the neck. His grip on the key-blade lessened and fell to the platform vanishing. I could see that he was trying to break free from my grasp, but as far as I could say, I had no intention in to letting him go; I should have gotten rid of him the first time I saw him.

I looked at him directly in the eyes as my grip got tighter around his throat, _"It's always about your friends, isn't it," _I snapped at him. But since I was lessening his ability to breathe, he couldn't really talk back. Eventually, I finally had enough, so I threw him to the side; he fell hard on the surface of the platform. But I was far from done, since my Master obviously wouldn't be interfering, without a second of hesitation, with full force, I kicked him; he ended up flying further near the edge. It's like that saying; kick them when they're down, or my saying anyways. The light should have burned out so long ago, but thanks to Sora, this had to escalate further.

I then saw that Ven finally got up, but was on his knees, he was slowly gaining back his breathing since he was coughing. Finally, he then faced me, he still had those same determined, hopeful eyes I just couldn't break,_ "Well at least I have some friends!" _he snapped back infuriated. Though I still didn't move from where I was standing. After a few seconds, he managed to fully pick himself up to a standing position, _"I become a part of their heart, just as they become a part of mine," _he then raised his right hand and summoned his key-blade once more, _"My friends are my power and I'm theirs!" _He then ran at full speed and strikes his weapon at me, though I blocked his attack with my own weapon; they both clashed against one another…the battle has officially begun…

* * *

**After Battle...**

I didn't know how it happened, I didn't know it could happen….but…I was truly defeated…I've lost everything….

Its power…, I lost grip on the blade; it was in my reach, but now it was ripped out of my hand, slipping away.

I could feel that my body was growing colder within every second, finally... I started to fall lifelessly... deeper into the darkness. My body was becoming weak as well, but with whatever strength I had within me, I used it to try and regain the power that I've lost. I reached desperately for the blade….but….it…it was too late….the blade shattered.

Even though it couldn't be seen from Ven or anyone…as my eyes were starting to close, I could feel a single tear forming… rolling down upon my cheek. Believe it or not, I was in tears…silently crying…

As I drifted deeper into the darkness, I felt my existence was slipping away… _"I hope you're happy... that you got what you wanted…Ven..." _

**End of POV**

* * *

It was night-time and Sora was in his bedroom fast asleep on his bed, or so his parents thought since they recently tucked him in. No, he was just lying his head against the soft pillow with his whole body positioned to the side. His eyes were wide opened as they kept staring blankly towards the window. He also had his blanket gripped tightly within his fingertips. After a while of silence in the air, he gave a sad sigh and finally spoke, _"I don't know why, but for some reason, I just can't sleep," _he whispered out. Then from out of nowhere, a tear unexpectedly came across his face. _"Huh? Where did…this come from?"_ He slowly got up from the bed and touched the wetness of the tear from his left cheek.

He then looked over his hand and saw that one of his fingers were wet…confirming it really was a tear, he was rather puzzled in how it happened. Then from out of plain sight, a voice started to emerge in the air, whispering out his name. Sora was instantly frozen like a statue while his eyes began to change; they were lifeless and darker blue as it had been before. A shadow started to grow from behind; it was eyeing at Sora with similar red eyes as an Unversed. _"Ven made a connection with Sora once, well I have made one as well, my existence may have been destroyed, hence being a shadow again, but I can gain another…" _The dark shadow then started to form a large hand and reached out to Sora, yet a simple noise from the window broke the trance he was in.

He was back to normal and the shadow faded, leaving no trace; Sora was once again oblivious, the feeling he had, and the tear that he shed, faded out of memory; like if it didn't happen. Though it only took Sora a couple of seconds to snap out it, he then turned his attention towards the window and saw that a hand was knocking. Sora quickly jumped off the bed and walked over to see who it was, it was not surprising to him when he saw that it was his friend Riku. Riku was smiling, though he was some-what making movements, telling Sora to open the window, so he did. _"Hey Riku, not that I'm not happy to see you here, but shouldn't you be at your own house in bed, its night time you know_," Sora said. _"I know it's night-time, that's why I'm here, you see, I couldn't sleep, so I was thinking it would be fun_ _to_ _maybe take a small walk and since we're friends, I just wanted to drop by to see if you wanted to join me," _Riku said.

Sora was immediately going to refuse since he didn't like the idea of sneaking out, but he thought about it for a bit and reconsidered since he remembered that he couldn't really get much sleep either; so a little walk might help. _"Okay, I'll go," _he finally said to his friend.

Eventually, they made their way close to the shore and both of them lied down on the sand relaxing; though after a while, they decided to head back.

Sora and Riku were walking across the pathway heading back to their homes, though on the way there, Riku couldn't help but notice that Sora was some-what sad, or better yet, was crying. He stopped and called it towards his attention, _"Sora what's wrong…you're crying…" _he pointed out worriedly. Sora then stopped and at first didn't know what he was talking about, but then he put his hand on his cheek feeling the tear, unknowingly for the second time. _"That's weird," _he said looking down at his feet with a sad face. _"It's like something is squeezing me inside," _he tried to describe the feeling. Riku then thought for a moment,_ "Well somebody up there must be sad," _he turned his attention to the stars.

"_Up where?" _Sora asked extremely confused. _"There," _he pointed to the stars, _"They say every world is connected by one great big sky. So maybe, there is a person somewhere out there, who is really hurting, and…they're probably calling out to you to help them." "Do you think maybe there is something I could do?" _Sora asked. "_Well…maybe they just need you to open your heart and listen_," he said. Sora thought for a moment in what Riku said and some-what doubted the idea, _"Hmmm, I don't know Riku, you say some weird stuff sometimes, but I'll try it," _Sora then looked over at the stars and slowly closed his eyes.

"_Hey, can you hear me?"_

* * *

After a while, Sora then opened his eyes, he found out that he was no longer in his home world; he was in another unknown place. He didn't really know what to think when he was looking over his surroundings; he was basically surrounded by darkness, but was supported by standing on a circular blue platform. _"Hmmm…things just keep getting even weirder," _he stated. Then from a distance, something…or in this case, someone caught his eye. He looked ahead and saw a young boy was sitting over the edge of the platform; his back facing Sora. The boy's appearance was basically see-through indicating he was a spirit, but Sora didn't know. Due to his curiosity, Sora slowly made his way to the teenage boy, and reached out his hand, eventually touching his shoulder.

"_H-hello…" _he stammered. The boy then finally acknowledged Sora, he slowly turned and his blank expression quickly changed into a warm smile, _"So it's you, you're the voice I heard…" _he said in a low soft voice. He then turned his whole body facing him, "_Who…who are you?" _Sora asked. _"Well, let's just say I'm the person who you helped once," _he said wanting to throw a cheerfully laugh. "_I helped you?"_ Sora asked puzzled. Then Ven finally put one of his hands on Sora's shoulder, _"Yes, you did, I heard your voice again, it cut through the darkness around me and I found my way here, with you, you see, long ago when I was at the peak of fading, you gave me a wonderful gift…a second chance," _then unexpectedly Ven's smile began to fade into sadness; he knew in any moment that he would soon disappear. _"And well now, I have to go back to sleep again," _he finished. "_Are you sad?" _Sora asked worriedly.

After a few moments of silence, Ven finally spoke, _"Do…do you think I can stay here with you?" _he asked and immediately, Sora gave a cheerful smile, _"Sure, if it will make you feel better." _At that moment, it seemed like Ven wanted to burst into tears…tears of joy, but the only thing he did was smile, _"Thank you," _he said softly. Ven's body immediately started to glow and eventually then evaporated into small fragments of light; though what remained of his existence, was a small orb of light that was hovering in Sora's small hands; the orb represented his heart. Sora then closed his eyes and rested the light within his chest, welcoming a new, yet old friend into his heart.

Sora then finally opened his eyes and was once again back where he was with Riku. _"So…how was it?" _Riku asked wondering. _"Hmmm…I think I reached," _Sora said happily admiring the beautiful stars. Then from out of nowhere, something made him uneasy, like if someone was watching him, he slightly turned his head to the side and saw a dark shadowy figure looking at him, of course he wasn't aware of the figure, but it was Vanitas; at the beginning, he was no more than a shadow again, but due to Sora reconnecting with Ven, he got his appearance back once more; though he was still a shadow since Ven's existence isn't truly back…so he wasn't truly back either…his spirit lingers within the small pieces of darkness within Sora's heart.

Sora kept staring at him, though Riku's voice broke his attention, _"Hey, what are you looking at?" _Riku questioned. Sora turned back to Riku, but then turned back in seeing that the figure wasn't there anymore, "_Nothing, let's go home_," Sora said, _"Mmmm…I must be seeing things since I'm tired," _he said in his mind.

As they both walked off into the distance… the figure appeared once more watching them leave.

"_So…you thought hiding within the heart of a child will save you huh…well things have only begun…I will get my revenge on you Ven, it's just so sad that you got him involved now since I'll have to officially kill him…." _Vanitas said coldly.

"_Even_ _though I'm a shadow at the moment…I will gain a more stable body." _

The shadow then disappeared lost in plain sight.


	6. Dark Reflection

**Sora's Point of View**

"_**I…I been having these weird thoughts lately….like…is any of this for real or not?"**_

Every time when I would drift to sleep, I would have these weird visions in my head….dreams…or in this case….it felt like memories…

Memories I couldn't even recall…so I believed they were no more than dreams…

In one dream, I remembered I was in an unknown world.

I remembered it was night-time, the stars really looked breath taking as I sat comfortably on the ground admiring them. The soft breeze of the wind felt good as it blew across my face. It truly felt peaceful, though as I would see the stars, a question would always pop up in my head when gazing at them, _"What is really so significant about the stars...Are they truly other worlds?" _

This dream goes back many years ago….I guess I would say before I started my ever changing journey. Though since many things came up after that, I have practically forgotten about those early dreams….

But now for some reason, they have been slowly coming back, I wasn't really bothered by them since they were so calm and peaceful, but everything seemed to change when I had this one particular dream….or should I say nightmare….

* * *

I didn't know where I was, I kept walking aimlessly in this deserted place; though as I walked examining my surroundings, I felt quite uneasy since it looked like if I was in a graveyard. The wind also started to pick up as a chill ran down my spine. What…what was this place? This is the first time I ever see it in my life…

As I then continued to walk, what I saw up ahead made me stopped in my tracks; my eyes widen in shock. I couldn't believe what I was seeing…..there were Key -blades….hundreds a-and hundreds…more than you can ever imagine. Everywhere I would turn, they were there….like a never ending field.

After seeing the sight, I steadily made my way towards one of the blades…Since I was looking at them up close, I could pretty much conclude that this blade, and all the other thousands were practically thrust here for years and years.. abandon…leaving to rust. I then slowly kneeled down to my knees slightly eyeing the ground…. "_What is this dreadful place?" _I kept wondering in my head…I was basically lost in thought feeling the hard, yet old rusted surface of the blade through my fingers.

Even though I wasn't really paying attention…I started to feel the tension of the wind raising once more…it felt like if it was whispering in my ears.

And oddly enough, I faintly heard a voice calling out to me._"Hello, Sora," _I heard the voice call from a distance; it was weird, the voice sounded familiar, or should I say, it sounded a lot like me, but had a little more of a dark tone in his voice. I finally got up and turned to the person, though when I did, no one was there. _"H-Hello? Whoever you are, come on out," _I said out to the air.

At first, there was only pure silence, but after a few seconds, surprisingly a dark portal emerged from a distance. I didn't know what to think, but I immediately summoned by Key-blade; being cautious. The figure finally stepped out of the darkness, though the being was wearing an Organization XIII coat; it could be me, but it seems like if I been seeing more of these coats lately.

As the dark portal disappeared, I saw that the person had the hood on. _"My my…look how much you have grown…and yet… you still haven't changed one bit," _the person said. I still had the Key-blade gripped tightly in my hands, _"Who are you and how do you know my name?" _I questioned. Though it seemed what I said made him chuckle for a bit, "_Well, believe it or not, I know you because we have met before, though I wouldn't expect you to remember since those memories have already withered away when you were young," _he said slowly walking towards me.

"_So then who are you?" _I asked again; I wanted him to reveal himself. He finally stopped and both of us were still eyeing at each other, though eventually, he slowly started to pull back the hood revealing his face. My eyes widen in shock as I saw his appearance; he…he was me…or more like a darker version of me since he had yellowish eyes and black hair. I was speechless I….I didn't know what to say. I just kept saying in the back of my head that this was a crazy dream that I was having right now. _"Yep, by the stunned expression on your face, it clearly tells me that you don't remember," _he said.

"_What…what is going on, why do you look like me?" _I was completely lost. _"Really…that question coming from you, I wondered about that myself at first, but then I found out that your actions are basically the reason why I look like this," _he said to me; though it still didn't really help. Who is he and what actions have I done that he is talking about?

He took a few steps to the side viewing the world that we were in, "_This place is still a graveyard," _he muttered under his breath. I then saw that he turned his attention towards me and made a disgusted face, _"A Key-blade huh…it seems at this point you have practically become more like him…or better yet, you have become him," _he said walking back to me eyeing at my weapon. Though I was still confused, who is this guy talking about? Becoming like who? He isn't making any sense to me.

He then looked at me straight in the eyes, "_Which means now your own existence is practically no more than a worthless shell, there is nothing special about you now, everything that happened to you, even getting this weapon, was no more than a lie…you're a sham, you're just a simple vessel holding these hearts prisoners within you….that's all you're good for, keeping things locked away. Without them, you'll be nothing," _he said angrily pointing to my chest. _"Which is why…I don't even see you as Sora anymore... instead when I look at you, I can only see Ven."_

"_But no matter, as far as it concerns you, you're no longer needed," _he said coldly. Then from out of nowhere, in a flash, I felt something pierce my body, making me drop by key-blade vanishing; the excruciating pain was consuming my body…I couldn't move. As I moved my eyes downward to my chest, I could see that the person also had a key-blade of his own since it was thrust into my body. Within every second, my vision began to get hazy…though I saw that he was smirking. He was being amused watching me die….

After a few seconds, I felt that he then pulled the blade out, making me finally collapse down to my knees….my body felt icy cold and most importantly weak. Why…why is he doing this…what have I done to him? In that instant, I then saw that my chest was glowing…something…something was being released from within my body; as it finally appeared, it was no other than a small orb of light…a heart. Though the way it felt…I knew it wasn't mine, but due to being stabbed, I was still at the peak of collapsing and blacking out permanently.

Then that's when it came to me in the worst possible time….I remembered the heart that was hovering in front of me belonged to….Ven.

**Flash Back**

"_Who…who are you?" _I asked. _"Well, let's just say I'm the person who you helped once," _he said wanting to throw a cheerfully laugh. "_I helped you?"_ I asked puzzled. Then the boy put one of his hands on my shoulder, _"Yes, you did, I heard your voice again, it cut through the darkness around me and I found my way here, with you, you see, long ago when I was at the peak of fading, you gave me a wonderful gift…a second chance," _then unexpectedly I saw that his smile began to fade. _"And well now, I have to go back to sleep again," _he finished. "_Are you sad?" _I asked worriedly.

After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke, _"Do…do you think I can stay here with you?" _he asked and immediately, I gave a cheerful smile, _"Sure, if it will make you feel better." _At that moment, I saw that the boy smiled, _"Thank you," _he said softly. His body immediately started to glow and eventually then disappeared into small pieces of light; though an orb of light was hovering over my hands. So I then closed my eyes and rested the light within my chest, welcoming the person into my heart. The last thing I remembered before I opened my eyes again… was the boy's name…his name was Ventus or Ven for short.

**End of Flash Back**

And…and if that was Ven….then that means…

I then moved my eyes upward seeing the cloaked person standing before me…

He said the memories had withered away, but I think I remember… though vaguely, _"V-Vanitas," _I managed to say. His expression some-what changed, but not completely, _"So, me striking you with the key-blade, somehow triggered your forgotten memories to rise to the surface, impressive…though I'm afraid you're too late," _he then grabbed the heart; having it in his palm.

It could be my memories playing tricks on me, but the way I remembered him, he was good…or so I thought.

**Flash Back**

I was sitting comfortably on the edge of the wooden bridge; the view looked calm and peaceful. Though after a few seconds, I got tired, so I was going to get my dad so we could play a game, or make a sand castle or something, but as I was walking off the bridge, someone caught my attention right off the bat.

I couldn't really put my finger on it, but the person I saw looked rather familiar, like if I saw him before; he seemed troubled as I looked at him, so I thought it would be good if he had someone to talk to…maybe a friend.

Without another word, I then ran towards him and smiled, though I just saw that he was some-what distracted so might as well make myself noticeable.

"_Hey," _I yelled, hoping to get his attention, though I got more than that since he immediately fell off the bridge; I know it was bad, but I couldn't help but giggle a little in seeing it, though I regretted it. "_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you okay mister? _I said with a worried face. "_Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it,"_ he said while taking off his helmet, getting up to his knees. He then lowered the helmet to the side and rubbed the back of his head. _"Good, for a second there, I thought you were hurt, I'm glad that you said you're okay," _I said having a smile on my face.

Though after that, it was awfully quiet, it seemed like if he didn't know what to say next, but after a while, he finally spoke, "_So, uh, not that I'm trying to run you off but, didn't your parents tell you, you shouldn't be talking to strangers, or better yet, not to scare them?"_ he said to me. I chuckled a little from his comment, "_Well of course my parents told me that, but…something tells me that you're not a total stranger…I don't really know why, but…I just feel it." _

"_Oh, well, so we won't be strangers, what's your name, if you don't' mind me asking?" _he said. I then gave a big smile, _"Well my name is Sora, and what's yours?" _I asked happily. _"Vanitas,"_ he said; though I had some trouble saying it. _"Van-neee-tuss," _I said. _"Huh, you can just call me Van, its fine," _he said giving a warm cheerful smile.

**End of Flash Back**

What could have happened to him to make him become so coldhearted and cruel?

I then finally collapsed to the ground completely, though my eyes were still locked on Vanitas. The same question kept repeating in my head…._ "What could of happened?" _In that instant, I felt tears were emerging…slowly rolling down my face; still looking at him. _"The shell has been broken and I have finally collected what is mine…I will finally regain the power that I've lost so long ago," _he said evilly holding the orb firmly in his hand. He then turned his attention towards me once more, _"Nice try, but I have no sentimental feelings for anyone,"_ he said wanting to laugh; he then raised his key-blade at me, "_Be devoured by the darkness_," he yelled. I saw that the blade was glowing, being surrounded by darkness, I knew that he was going to strike me, I couldn't bear it; so I shut my eyes as tight as I possibly could.

* * *

"_No…no…no!" _I muttered, yet due to the horrifying image, I immediately jumped and woken from my sleep. I was practically breathing hard; I could even feel my heart beat racing as I was clinging on to my chest. It took some time, but I regain self aware that I was in my bedroom safe and sound and that it was still night-time. _"It…it was only a dream," _I said relieved, _"More like a nightmare," _I then finally collapsed on to my pillow again, now staring at the ceiling. After having that dreadful nightmare… I couldn't possibly go back to sleep now…I was hopelessly wide awake.

After a while of staring blankly at the ceiling and wiping the tears away, I couldn't help, but go back to thinking about the dream_, "Everything that happened in it, including those flashbacks, they seemed awfully real….was this real or a dream?" _I kept thinking in my head. It must have been…I don't know why, but I have this strange feeling inside that something terrible is going to happen, if my dream was bad, what will come in the real world….

I then finally got up from the bed; though still in a sitting position. I turned my attention to the window and saw the moon along with the million little stars shining in the sky. I gave a slight sigh, "_If the dream was real…then referring to the letter I got from King Mickey, maybe Ven, Roxas and the others aren't probably the only ones who need to be saved…." _

I then moved closer to the window and saw my own reflection; though as I slowly put my hand over the cool glass, **his **reflection appeared instead, replacing mine.

"_Vanitas…" _I whispered.


	7. To Repeat Itself

**Author's Note: May leave this story hanging for a while since I have to focus on more important things at the moment...**

* * *

**Sora's Point of view**

**"_To really see through the eyes of a stranger… is he truly bad?_**

**…_.I looked upon the glass from the window and saw his face, as I did; I instantly saw flashes of images from his past, but through his dark hollow eyes…"_**

After the nightmare I had…somehow I was able to go back to sleep…

Though it felt like the sweet relief and comfort faded quickly since by the time I knew it, day light was already breaking through my window, lighting up my room.

I slowly opened one eye, gazing out, seeing the light the sun was giving off. I just let out a sigh, "_Morning already…."_ I muttered; I felt sluggish lying on the bed, I truly didn't want to move….I wanted more sleep since half of it was lost because of the dream.

I then immediately got my pillow and buried it on top of my head trying to block out the light…though of course, after a while, I gave in and finally got up from the bed, yawning and stretching; I felt like I had to push my body to move since I said before I was extremely tired.

"_Maybe going to the islands will help me ease my mind…to forget the dream," _I softly said under my breath.

So with that said I finally got up from the bed, made it, got dressed, ate and started heading there.

It was sunny and beautiful as ever as I was just sitting comfortably on the trunk of the tree; I was staring out blankly, trying to recollect my thoughts in order…even though I said before I thought the dream was real, I'm starting to have doubts…like if it was just one of those dreams that seemed real, but are obviously not.

But the image of me being stabbed and completely collapsing to the cold ground kept playing over and over in my head….it truly felt real. I then slowly picked up my hand and rested it on my chest. No wound, no blood…yet I felt like the life was being sucked out of me when it happened.

Since I was so deep in thought, it took me a few moments to register in my head that someone was calling me; the feminine voice broke the silence in the air.

"_Sora…Sora…Sora?!"_ I heard the voice say; then I completely snapped out of it and turned my full attention towards the person, it was kairi I saw, she was standing looking at me, waiting for a response. _"Oh, I'm sorry Kairi….I-I just didn't get enough sleep is all," _I said slightly looking down playing with my hands. I then felt that she sat beside me, _"I could tell, I see it in your eyes, you look awful. Maybe you should go back to bed," _she said concerned. _"No, its okay, I don't really think that will help much," _I said looking over at the ocean.

"_Why…did you have a bad dream or something?" _she continued, "_You know I'm here for you, you can tell me if you want," _she then rested one of her hands on mine. And in that moment, a quick flash of my nightmare came back to me.

I don't know why, but it felt like if my head was burning… "_Rrrrgh_," I put one of my hands on my head.

Why…why is this happening? Something is telling me that this is more than just a nightmare. "_Sora, are you alright?" _I heard her say to me; though I quickly recovered….I didn't want her to worry. "_Huh yeah, I'm fine really," _I said putting up a smile; though after what I had done, I kind of knew she wouldn't buy it.

"_Well…okay if you say so," _she ended up saying; though I saw she was still concerned. I wouldn't really blame her; after all, knowing me, I'll probably be acting the same way if something unusual was happening to her.

I even remember those days when we were barely getting to know each other; Riku would always tease me and do others things just to make me uneasy and mad because I had developed a crush for her….or maybe it might be something more than that… I don't really know just yet.

"_Well, sorry it had been short, but I have to go," _she then got off the tree trunk, "_I still think you should get some rest though." "Yeah, okay I will, see you later," _I said. She made a slight giggle; a small smile then appeared upon her face,_ "Goodbye Sora," _with that said, she walked off into the distance leaving me with my thoughts again.

The wind was slowly picking up as I then raised my hand against my chest once more. I remembered Vanitas said out of anger that I was nothing but a sham, he was saying my heart was a prison….is he right? Is my heart truly a prison or is he just trying to mess with my head… if that really is the case…well he seems to be doing a pretty good job at the moment since I'm completely lost. Maybe I really should take kairi's advice and try to get a little more sleep. I then got off the tree and looked over the edge, seeing the clear crystal blue water. As I did, my reflection came into view….Kairi was right, I really do look like if I'm drained. I better go; though before I was about to, something unusual struck me inside my head; it was a voice….**his **voice.

"_So just because you are chosen to lessen the hurting from people…you automatically think that I'm one of those…" _I heard Vanitas said in my head.

"_Well forget that little plan you had, whatever you remember from the past means nothing…it all crippled away, darkness is what I am, and there is no changing that whether you like it or not," _his voice sounded so sinister and dark.

"_So then how come for so long, you finally awakened; why am I hearing you in my head," _I said in a low voice looking down at my feet.

"_Like I would tell you everything,"_ he said sharply, _"But I guess I will tell you this…history is going to repeat itself and there is no way you will be able to stop it," _he said pleased.

My eyes widen in shock…history is going to repeat itself? Then…the dream I saw…the place I was in. Then a flash back of seeing all the abandon keys everywhere played back again in my mind. _"Another war…" _he said to me.

"_Another war huh….so there was one before," _I was questionable, though I quickly remembered; it was one those fairy tale stories that was once told to kairi when she was little.

_**Story**_

Long ago, there lived a world filled with peace and harmony. The people from the world, were always gifted with the everlasting light from the unseen Kingdom Hearts.

The light was so beautiful and magical, people started to believe that the light was a blessing. After a while of sharing the light, people started to grow emotions of greed and selfishness; they wanted to obtain the light for themselves, and thus darkness was born in their hearts.

In order to complete this appalling task, people one by one began to create a similar replica of Kingdom Hearts' protector, "The _X_-blade".

The Keyblade's purpose was only to steal the light; with this new weapon at hand, it created a major crisis for the world. It was said that whoever obtained the _X_-blade, would have total control over Kingdom Hearts, so like a virus, war struck between the keyblade wielders, fighting for control over the _X_-blade.

While the war was happening, darkness started to spread rapidly. Sadly during the war, the x-blade shattered into 20 pieces , resulting in Kingdom Hearts being swallowed by the darkness, never to be seen again.

Since the darkness ended up swallowing the entire world, no one really survived in the war. But through the hearts of children, the world was restored and broken into smaller worlds separate from each other.

Life continued on since that tragedy, but the power of the keyblade still lurked its way to new individuals, though the people who obtained the power started to use it not to steal the light, but use the power to protect it instead, hoping to keep the light safe and prevent history from repeating itself.

Though legend says, if the 13 darknesses and the 7 lights clash, the_ x_-blade will be forged, the true Kingdom Hearts will reawaken, and the Keyblade war will be reset.

_**End of Story**_

But after hearing the story, and remembering everything else I've seen…I truly believe that this is more than just a fairy tale…its real; that story was the war that happened so long ago. I then tighten my hand in a fist…This war can't happen; we have to do something…

After a few seconds, I then heard Vanitas voice again,_ "And speaking of history repeating itself…" _he sounded amused.

I then turned my attention up to the sky…_ "Oh no," _I whispered out. The wind was picking up heavily, the clouds were blocking out the sun; it looked like a storm was coming. Everything was becoming incredibly dark in an instant. The storm…it…it was happening again. This place…this world… it's going to be taken once more. But…but how…it…it just didn't make sense.

And before I knew it, everything looked pitch black; wind was blowing hard against me as I was still staring up at the clouds. I think I even saw a glimpse of lightning as I was shielding myself with my arms. Then in an instant, it clicked in my head, _"Riku and kairi!" _I had to find them, make sure they're okay…I didn't want to get separated this time as I had before.

Without a second of hesitation, I immediately started to run as fast as I could off the bridge; though I stopped when I was mid-way. Creatures started to emerge in front of me so I immediately reached out my right hand and summoned my Key-blade; ready to take down these monsters. But as they formed, I was a bit baffled…they weren't Heartless or Nobodies I was expecting. No…they were different hence the blue skin, dark red eyes, and shapes they were in. What were they, I honestly haven't seen these creatures before.

But the way things were going, I didn't care..all I was thinking about were Kairi and Riku, so I charged at the creatures and struck them one by one; as I did, they instantly vanished into thin air. _"What are these creatures?" _

No matter how many I destroyed, they just kept coming...it's like if they were preventing me to leave. Then from out of nowhere, I instantly heard a loud thunder, and as I turned, I saw in a flash that a lightning struck the tree I was sitting on previously.

My eyes widen in shock, this storm was much worse, fire started to emerge engulfing the tree; it was rapidly spreading.

_"No...I got to find my friends now! I don't have time for this," _I said referring to the creatures who were standing in my way. So I immediately took a chance and jumped off the bridge and started running. Though as I was running, a dark portal opened. I stopped once again facing the person who came out of it. As usual the person was wearing an Organization XIII coat.

My eyes widen in shock when the person pulled down the hood, _"So the dream really was real..." _I said finally convinced. The person was Vanitas; though his existence was some-what shadowy, he just gave a smirk looking at me with those cold eyes.

_"Your world will fall as it had before."_

_"Sora, a question may I ask, if you think I'm one of the people to be saved...well who will save you?"_

I then saw that he summoned his Key-blade and pointed it at me.

_"The 13th dark vessel..."_


	8. Unbreakable Chains

**Author's Note: Yeah...well, it really has been a while since I last updated...so... I did this to keep the story going, hope you guys like it. **

* * *

"_**Even in the deepest darkness…a light shines within….though what if it's too much… that the light starts to wither…becoming dim...almost like a candle about to give out…"**_

_**Sora's Point-of-View**_

"_The final piece of the puzzle," _he said to me with those cold eyes, "_The 13__th __dark vessel," _Vanitas raised his weapon. "_You better get a good look at this place, because it's the last time you'll ever see it again,"_ in an instant, dark aura was swirling about his Key-blade. He still had those soulless eyes locked on my appearance; I knew at this moment…I was trapped. Even if I could out run him, it wouldn't do any good.

Reason why…well…as I looked at my home world slowly crumbling into pieces, the fire that was created earlier, increased rapidly, nearly consuming everything in sight, preventing me from going anywhere. "_Riku….kairi," _I whispered out, silently looking at the flames surrounding me. At this point, all I was thinking…was for them two to be safe, hopefully they have already ended up somewhere else…safe far from here.

After a second of looking at the flames, I turned my attention back to Vanitas, without any thought, I immediately raised my Key-blade, ready to deflect anything he is willing to throw at me; I'm not going to be taken away this easily….not without a fight. _"Well, what do you know, after so many years Ven, you still give me those same eyes," _he said wanting to laugh. I then slightly looked down gripping the blade tighter in my grasp; my hair was covering my eyes, "_Call me whatever you want, but I'll tell you this one thing, I am and always will be called Sora….no matter what," _I said raising my head staring at him once more.

"_Fine….Sora," _he said still with a smirk; and without further warning, Vanitas immediately shot out a ray of darkness from the tip of his Key-blade. The darkness was coming in lightning speed towards my direction, though I wasn't afraid, I stood my ground. In a split second, without hesitation, I jumped doing a back flip, as I did; the darkness missed me and hit the sand instead.

I successfully dodged the move he threw at me; though I kept staring at him having my weapon still gripped firmly in one hand. _"Impressive," _he said amused. "_But not good enough_," he then raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.

"_What?"_ I was confused; what did he mean by that? Though, it seemed like I got the answer the hard way since I immediately felt something strike me from out of nowhere. It was so fast and unexpected; I dropped the Key-blade and collapse to my knees in pain. Whatever it was that inflicted pain on me, really got me good since as I was trying to endure the pain, I examined myself in finding that my shirt was torn and a wound was revealed on my chest. I was bleeding very badly, a drop or two landed on the ground. Without really much thought, I tried to stop the bleeding by putting my hand over my chest, though only to find that my glove was covered in blood as well.

I thought this was as bad as it gets, but then as I looked at the sand, darkness was circling around me. Eventually after that, the darkness rose and started to wrap itself around my body….basically holding me in place. This truly felt like a nightmare….no words could describe how awful this is right now….

Even though I wasn't really looking, I knew Vanitas was coming closer since I heard his footsteps. "_A little different, but this does bring back a memory," _Vanitas said still amused.

_**End of Sora's POV**_

* * *

_**Flash Back**_

Vanitas was running as quick as possible, as he came across the edge of a cliff; he immediately jumped off without any hesitation. As he was falling, on the way down, he saw someone below him. "_Her again…now is my time to strike," _Vanitas said coldly in his mind. In a split second, he then summoned his Key-blade and was already about to pounce on his nearby target; since she was completely oblivious he was near, Vanitas was going to give the final blow….to end her life.

"_Aqua!" _a young boy cried to his friend, warning her; the boy was no one other than Ven. Though due to a bit of carelessness in the previous fight, he was helpless…literally frozen like a statue on the cold ground. His eyes widen in shock and fear because he thought Aqua was going to get extremely hurt.

Though Aqua heard Ven's warning, and turned, but since she was so close to getting hit, she lost consciousness; collapsing to the ground. No matter what, Vanitas was still going to strike, so he slowly raised his Key-blade and was about to stab her; that is until Ven's voice broke his concentration.

"_Nooo!_ _Get away from her!"_ he yelled; Ven was now standing with his Key-blade in hand; he was able to melt the ice away from his body. Without another word, he then ran towards him, but it was nothing more than a trap Ven blindly fell for. Darkness came creeping out from the cracks of the ground and charged at Ven. To no surprise, the darkness that unraveled, were Vanitas' creations; the Unversed. The Unversed forcefully stopped Ven and had themselves wrapped around him…binding him so he couldn't move, or in this case…escape; Vanitas then took off his helmet.

He then gave a small sigh, and put his hand over his head, "_Ven, Ven, Ven…you naïve little boy," _he said slowly walking closer to him. As he did, he saw that Ven was trying to break free, but of course it was practically pointless. Vanitas kneeled down, they were now looking at each other; face to face, "_Stop squirming, it's pointless to throw your energy away like that, everything is going as planned…there is no way of breaking the chains now," _he then grabbed Ven's chin and pulled him in a little closer, "_They're unbreakable," _he said with a smirk, though Ven continued to look at him disgusted.

"_The Unversed….come from you…" _he questioned out of anger.

_**End of Flash Back**_

"_Yes…"_ Vanitas then used the tip of the Key-blade to pick up Sora's chin; both looking face to face. "_They're unbreakable…" _he repeated remembering the flash back; though at this point Sora already lost consciousness….nothing really to say.

Vanitas then turned his attention to his surroundings…seeing the peaceful world being consumed. "_Well this world is at its end…time to go," _he said under his breath. He then once again snapped his fingers, the darkness that was wrapped around Sora descended… leaving him to collapse on the ground; though without a moment to lose, Vanitas waved his hand, and a dark portal opened behind him.

He then grabbed Sora and carried him…heading into the portal leading to another world.

* * *

"_Oh, Riku, where can he be?" _Kairi asked her friend worriedly. Riku and Kairi were safe as Sora hoped since they were in Traverse Town; though they were walking side-by-side searching for him in the First District. They both kept calling their dear friend's name…hoping to hear his response indicating he was alright, but every time they would call, they would get the same response… dead cold silence.

After searching for quite some time, something in the sky suddenly caught Kairi's eye, "_Riku, look!" _she called out pointing up at the stars. _"What, what is it?" _Riku asked, though then he followed Kairi's finger and looked up at the sky. Both of them reflected fear in their eyes as they were examining the stars. History really was repeating itself….a star in the sky was shining so bright, but in an instant, the star vanished, leaving no trace of existence….the elegant light of the star gave out.

"_I have a bad feeling about this,"_ Riku said still looking at the sky. Though from the two, it seemed that Kairi was the most worried. She instantly remembered how unusual Sora was acting towards her when she was with him a while ago.

_**Flash Back**_

"_Sora, are you alright?" _she said to him; Kairi was baffled since Sora looked like if he was in pain, though it seemed like he didn't want her to worry, so being him, he forcefully made a smile across his face. "_Huh yeah, I'm fine really," _he said with a friendly cheerful smile. Even though Kairi didn't buy it, she couldn't help but to let it go, "_Well…okay if you say so."_

_**End of Flash Back**_

Then that's when Kairi grabbed Riku's arm, "_Riku, this is much worse, I think Sora's in danger,"_ she said to him. "_Well, we can't waste time then, we have to look for him and fast," _Riku said determined. They both immediately took off, running into another District, hoping to find Sora somewhere in the town.

* * *

_**Sora's Point-of-View**_

I felt so weak….and confused; how….how did I get here. As I kept thinking for some kind of explanation…nothing…nothing came to mind. The only image I had engraved in my mind at the moment…was being surrounded by the burning flames of fire….

As the fire was increasing, it felt like it was taking away my ability to breathe. I didn't know what was happening…I was scared. Then…the next thing I would see…were those cold demented red eyes… glaring at my appearance through the fire. I could actually see myself through the creature's eyes…nothing but this image came into mind.

As I moved my eyes from side to side, I basically confirmed to myself that I was being confined in a small dark room…it felt like if I was really in a prison. I was just sitting in a corner, having my arms wrapped around my knees as well as my face buried against them. _"The 13__th__ dark vessel…" _I whispered faintly, picking my head up slightly. _"Never thought I could fit that role….why…why was I chosen to begin with," _I blandly said, now looking up at the ceiling.

Then from out of nowhere I started to hear a voice, at first I thought it was coming from within my mind, but then as it grew, I knew it was coming from outside the room I was in.

"_You know, it was pretty careless for letting __**him **__be the one to bring Sora here, due to him not being able to control his actions, he could have killed him," _I heard the voice say; though sadly I couldn't identify of who it was.

"_Don't worry about something that is in the past, he's here isn't he," _another voice responded.

Then that's when I remembered…Vanitas…he hit me on the chest…making me bleed. I then turned my attention to my shirt, I slightly moved my jacket to the side in seeing my whole shirt covered in dried blood; the torn was still there as well. _"Some-how I managed to survive,"_ I whispered out to the cold air. I even looked at one of my hands and also found dried blood on the glove's surface. It was a blur, but then I remembered, I put my hand over my chest, hoping to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on it.

"_So now that we have him, what's our next move?" _I heard the two voices still conversing.

"_Simple, we don't really need him, only his body, so… we'll simply send his mind to a place far out of the dimension of reality."_

"_You mean…"_

"_Yes, we'll send him to the realm of dreams, or in this case, if we're lucky…possibly to the nightmares." _

After that, their voices were far from my reach. At this point, I figured out what they had planned for me….this definitely was a chance for me to find an escape, but for some reason, I just stayed where I was. This…this might be crazy, but maybe if I let the people send me deeper into my mind, it could probably help me… to find something….something important.

I feel like the dreams and the nightmare recently, have been trying to tell me something, but I just don't know what it is, it just leaves me at a dead-end when I wake up, maybe the dreams could help me understand the people who are hurting more clearly, making it easier to figure out a way to lessen their pain. The dreams will probably have an answer. But in doing this…I know I'll be taking a risk, there could be a chance I won't return….I wouldn't be able to get out if I fall too deep…leaving my body as a manipulative chess piece for the war that is planned.

I then just gave a sad sigh, and once again buried my head against my knees. "_What am I thinking; I'll probably lose myself since I don't really know what I'm dealing with…" _I uttered softly.

I then faintly heard a dark voice in the back of my head again….

* * *

"_That's right Sora…your mind…your soul….your whole existence…they're all going to disappear into the darkness…."_


	9. Looks Can Be Deceiving

"_**This boy portrays himself as being pure due to his personality, but within all that kindness, a small piece of darkness still lingers inside his heart.**_

_**Possibly within time, I could probably make it grow, making him change into someone completely different.**_

_**Even **__**though I'm a shadow at the moment…I will gain a more stable body."**_

_**-**__**Vanitas**_

* * *

"_Sora, answer me!" _Riku yelled, once again calling out to his friend.

"_Sora, please, where are you?!" _Kairi repeated, desperately wanting a response.

But all ended the same for the two, nothing but silence was given. Riku and Kairi though refused to give up and kept walking deeper into the town that they were in; Traverse Town. The two aimlessly walked into another district, which automatically led them into the Second District.

"_Are you sure he's here Riku? What if he isn't even in this world," _Kairi exclaimed steadily walking down a small set of stairs.

"_Well you could be right, but it doesn't hurt to make sure though," _Riku said following her.

"_Yeah, I guess you're right," _she finally agreed.

As the two continued to walk, something unusual immediately caught Kairi's eye once again. As she examined it from a far, she noted that they were two vague shadowy figures; one was awfully big, and the other was quite small.

"_Riku, look over there," _she pointed to the shadows.

Riku followed her finger and saw the two shadows as well; he was quite questionable if they were a threat, or if the figures were something they could simply ignore.

"_Do you think they are Heartless?" _Kairi asked baffled.

"_I don't know," _he then reached out his hand and the Key-blade appeared in his grasp.

"_But it doesn't hurt to find out, just follow me and be careful," _Riku stated slowly walking.

"_Okay."_

Riku and Kairi slowly made their way towards the figures, as they did, without really much thought; Riku raised his weapon and ran charging at them with full speed. Though as he was about to strike, he immediately stopped when he acknowledged who the two vague figures were. He lowered his Key-blade, with a confused look on his face raising an eyebrow.

"_Donald? Goofy?" _he questioned.

Since Donald and Goofy didn't know what to expect and were some-what frighten, they were practically holding each other quivering, but once when they saw it was Riku, all was happy smiles….or for Goofy at least. Donald jumped off eyeing at Riku.

"_Don't scare us like that!" _he pouted throwing a tiny hint of anger.

But of course Riku did a slight chuckle, after a second Kairi then joined the small party and acknowledged them as well.

"_Oh, I remember, you two are Sora's friends too, Donald and Goofy, isn't it?" _Kairi asked them.

"_Yeah, it's us alright, nice to see you two, but uh….where's Sora, I thought he would be with you," _Goofy asked scratching the side of his head.

"_We don't know what happened to him, we've been looking, but there hasn't been any sign of him, I was probably going to ask you two the same question whether if either of you have seen him," _Riku said to Donald and Goofy.

"_And…not to take it the wrong way, but what are you two doing here exactly?" _Kairi asked.

"_Well, we heard from the king that your world had been taken, so he ordered us to go to Traverse Town and retrieve the three of you…but I guess it's now a problem since Sora isn't with you guys," _Donald stated; he was beginning to worry.

As the conversation was prolonging, Riku immediately became lost in thought. He was trying to figure out a road or a clue in finding where his friend could be. In that moment, he started to remember the time when he first got separated from Sora and Kairi. He remembered Sora landed here and that he and Kairi landed in Hollow Bastion. Everything in his mind seemed to click after making the connection.

"_Kairi was right, he is in another world, he possibly accidently ended up in Hollow Bastion like I did," _Riku muttered to himself, still putting the pieces together.

"_I think I know where Sora is," _Riku finally spoke to the small group.

"_Where?" _the three asked looking at him.

"_Hollow Bastion, I mean Radiant Garden," _Riku stated shaking his head.

He always kept forgetting the world's proper name since he always went by the name Hollow Bastion.

"_My home world?" _Kairi asked to make sure.

"_Yes, I think that's where he is," _Riku finished.

"_Well, I guess we have our destination, shall we head to the Gummi ship," _Donald said already leading the way.

As Goofy started to follow Donald, Riku and Kairi were a bit hesitant since they were still having doubts if Sora was really in Radient Garden, but since they didn't really have a choice, the two ended up following Donald and Goofy to the Gummi ship.

They boarded the ship and within time, took off, heading to Radiant Garden.

After a while, as the ship was flying, Kairi couldn't help but see out. So she sat close to a window, staring out, having a worried expression on her face. She couldn't stop thinking about Sora, the one thing that kept repeating in her mind, was her desire, or wish that he was fine, that nothing horrible had happened to him.

Riku then suddenly walked by, and acknowledged Kairi was a bit down, he knew she was thinking about Sora; and seriously who could blame her, deep down inside, he was wishing for his friend's safety too, after all, Sora's and Riku's relationship falls under the impression of them two being like close brothers since they have been friends for as long as Riku could remember.

Riku then walked to Kairi and sat on the chair that was beside her. Kairi then turned and faced Riku.

"_Don't worry, knowing him, I'm pretty sure he's fine," _Riku said trying to cheer her up.

"_We'll find him….I know we will…thanks Riku," _Kairi said giving a cheerful smile.

Pretty soon after, the group finally arrived at their destination….Radiant Garden. As they all got out of the Gummi ship and were transported into the world, they immediately started looking for Sora. The town didn't really seem to change all that much since everything seemed peaceful and calm…or so they thought.

Riku took at least a few steps down a set of stairs and in an instant; the entire group were surrounded by Heartless. Riku and Kairi made their Key-blades appear, as well as Donald having his staff and Goofy with his shield, all ready to fight the small shadows.

The four immediately charged in different directions striking each Heartless that came across their path. The situation seemed to be going fine, but Riku noticed as each time one was defeated, another would emerge from the ground; it felt like an endless fight. He knew if this keeps up, they would be defeated due to the beings making them tired.

"_There's simply no end to this!" _Riku said annoyed.

At this point they were all out numbered….surrounded.

"_Riku what do we do?" _Kairi asked watching the shadows, having her back against his.

Though Riku couldn't respond, he didn't know what to do. After a second, a Heartless then jumped towards him; it was going to strike. And just when all hope seemed to be lost, in a blink of an eye, the shadow that was about to strike, suddenly vanished into thin air; it was destroyed, but the question is, by who?

"_Huh?" _Riku was confused.

Then the situation seemed to get even weirder, a light shot out from out of nowhere hitting each Heartless, eliminating their existence one by one; pretty soon there were no more, giving the group a sense of relaxation. It was awfully quiet for a second, since the group had no further explanation of what just happened…though the silence among them was eventually broken by a familiar voice.

"_Phew….I guess I made it in time huh?" _the voice said quite cheery.

The figure unraveled from the shadows revealing to be….Sora.

"_Sora!?"_Everyone screamed surprised; they wondered if it was really him, or if it was an illusion.

Sora practically looked refreshed, energized, and most importantly unharmed, it's like if they were worrying about him for nothing, since they found out that after all this time, he was safe and sound. Sora just made a slight laugh, while his Key-blade vanished.

"_Yes, it's me, you all are not dreaming,"_ he said being amused of their surprised faces.

"_Sora!"_Goofy said happily. He then ran, pick him up and started hugging him tightly…though Sora was strangely annoyed by Goofy's act of kindness. He was giving that look like if he didn't want to be touched at all, though due to the fact of seeing him, everyone was blind enough to overlook this small detail…everyone, but Riku. Riku put his hand over his chin, looking over at Sora with a suspicious look on his face. Was it really his childhood friend, or an imposter?

"_Huh, yeah…happy to see you all too, huh G-Goofy, you can put me down now," _Sora said still giving the same look.

"_Oh, right,"_ Goofy then let Sora down.

"_It really is you!" _Kairi exclaimed happily.

Without another word, she then ran towards him and put her arms around his neck, also giving a warm hug. It took a moment, but Sora then embraced her.

"_I was worried about you," _Kairi said nearly crying over his shoulder; though he gave a slight chuckle when he heard her say that.

"_I told you before, I'm fine, there was no need to worry," _he said softly.

Eventually, the two finally let go of each other and Sora greeted Donald as well. Though the only one who hadn't said a word… was Riku. He still had a suspicious look on his face whether if it really was his friend. The two kept staring at each other from a distance, like if some kind of unseen tension was rising between them both. Though Sora eventually broke the silence again and walked over to Riku.

"_Well you're the only one left who hasn't said anything to me, what is it Riku, is there something bothering you?" _Sora asked raising an eyebrow.

Though Riku pushed his suspicions aside and smile towards his friend.

"_N-no, nothing is bothering me, just…happy that you're safe," _Riku said.

"_Thanks," _Sora said with a small smile.

Then without really much to say, Sora then gave Riku a hug since just about everyone gave him one. Though when he did, Riku immediately picked up something strange. Since Riku had been one with the darkness before, he already has a sense of identifying the scent the darkness gives off. It was strange because when Sora was hugging him he picked up the same exact scent. His eyes widen in shock and immediately let go of Sora.

Right there and then Riku wanted to tell the others, but for some unknown reason he kept it quiet… he didn't want to alarm them. It was probably the thought that he wasn't truly convinced if he was right or if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"_Huh, right, now that we are all together we can head to Disney Castle, King Mickey wanted the three of us there, so we better be going," _Riku said walking pass Sora to the group.

"_Right, okay," _Sora stated.

He then turned his head and saw that they were starting to head back to the ship. Sora's hand suddenly turned into a fist, while his eyes reflected hatred and anger.

"_He knows….." _Sora muttered in a dark sinister voice.

Sora eyes then changed into a yellowish color, though when he heard a voice, his eye color reverted back into blue.

"_Sora, come on!" _Donald yelled.

"_Relax I'm coming," _Sora yelled back.

Without another word he then ran, eventually catching up to the gang. As soon as everyone was all buckled up for the trip, the ship took off heading to Disney Castle.

* * *

"_This is just the beginning…." _


	10. Light and Darkness

"_**His eyes wandered… staring at his targets with great infuriation…**_

_**He formed his hand into a tight fist….while his eyes became consumed….corrupted by the darkness that invaded his body…."**_

"_This is just the beginning __**he **_says; _hopefully this little plan of his will work," _Vanitas muttered through the body he had received.

His dark yellowish eyes continued to stare at Sora's friends… they were completely oblivious of the fact that he had taken over their friend's body.

"_Sora, Come on!" _he heard Donald yell from a distance.

"_That duck is really annoying...hopefully I don't have to portray being their friend for so long," _Vanitas said in his mind.

He then took a small deep breath and closed his eyes. After a second, he slowly opened them again, revealing that his eye color reverted back to pure ocean blue.

"_Relax! I'm coming!" _Vanitas yelled; duplicating Sora's voice.

He then ran, taking off like a rocket, eventually catching up to the group. Pretty soon after they were all settled, Donald activated the ship and took off, heading to their new destination….Disney Castle.

* * *

_**Vanitas' Point of View**_

As far as I could say being on this ship, I was extremely annoyed by Sora's friends. The duck and the dog seemed like complete goof balls, the girl, Kairi, kept crying over me like a baby since she was so worried about me, or I should say Sora, and the other, Riku, kept having that suspicious stare I would keep trying to avoid whenever I would come across him. With all this, it seemed pretty impossible for me to be with any of them.

"_Hey, I'm going to rest for a bit. I still feel a little tired, is that okay with you?" _I asked Kairi who was sitting next to me.

Of course, I was using Sora's voice when I talked...

"_Oh, sure, I'll come and get you when we're close to landing," _she said looking at me.

"_Okay." _I said getting up.

I ended up walking to a nearby door that I saw up ahead. As I finally reached the door, I slowly grabbed the knob, but didn't open it just yet. No, before I went in, I turned getting another look at these people who were Sora's friends….seeing them….really makes me sick! I then sharply turned back with a disgusted face and opened the door storming in, though I slowly closed the door silently behind me.

After I shut out the noise behind me…I was welcomed by the familiarity of silence…it was silent enough... that I could only hear the sound of myself breathing. I then put my back against the door, staring blankly at the floor I was standing upon; At this moment, the only thing I was thinking about….was my Master's plan...or maybe to be more clear...the minute when I was brought back.

_**Flash Back **_

"_Why…why am I back into this world?" _I choked out, almost wanting to cry in frustration.

I was practically on my knees and due to my frustration, I slammed my tighten fist hard against the ground. I felt lost and confused...I-I couldn't remember anything. Everything that happened to me….was a blur…I knew something happened, but I couldn't really remember what exactly. The only imagery that I had in my head... was the _x_-blade shattering right before my eyes.

"_The x-blade,_" I muttered under my breath.

Yes…it seems now I'm starting to remember. My goal was to create the _x-_blade_… _in order for me to escape the tormenting pain I was cursed with, but…but then Ven ruined it and eliminated us both. Or so I thought at the time, since he reached out to Sora again to reconnect their bond, and because of that, my existence diminished to the point of being a shadow again.

I remembered when that happened, I was so angry that I wanted revenge and more than likely wanted to kill Sora right off the bat, or officially as I think I stated before. But since I was really nothing… within time, I ended up falling asleep like Ven and disappeared without a trace….literally forgetting what I said back then.

Since Ven and I are the same person, and he reconnected with Sora, that alone in a way makes me connected to Sora as well… which is probably why I ended up disappearing in the small darkness he has in his heart.

"_But if that's really the case, then why am I here? How did I reawaken, separated from Sora?" _I asked myself speaking a little louder.

I then examined my hand and saw that I was still a shadow; I still had Sora's appearance, but didn't really have a solid body as I had before. After a while, I finally got up and took a look at my surroundings. The place really seemed like a ghost town…since no one was around.

There were buildings from every angle I would turn; though as I slowly walked forward, the atmosphere was quite dark, since when I stopped and looked up, it was night-time. But what really caught my attention when I was seeing the dark sky…was the moon. It was glowing bright like any regular moon, but its shape was unique. The moon was crafted into a heart….similar to the Kingdom Hearts I remember seeing in the graveyard long….long ago. From there, there was a large castle displayed.

I then simply tilted my head, "_Where am I?" _I asked.

Then a familiar voice broke the silence….

"_Simple, t__his world is called The World That Never Was," _I heard the voice say behind me.

Without even having to look, I knew who it was…it was my Master….Xehanort. Though I just made a sour face and kept my back turned to him. I'm already tired of this old man, what does he want with me now?

"_What, no hello?" _I heard him say.

"_Not really my thing to have manners, what do you want, I thought you were dead?" _I said turning my head facing him.

He just made a slight smile, "_Why, I was restored to my original form, the reason I'm here, is to finish what you and I started together, to once again create the x-blade….to have another chance, isn't that what you still want?"_

I didn't really answer right away since I was thinking about it for a second, but after what I said about getting revenge and seeing myself like this….I agreed.

"_Yes, I want to be free from this pain…as well as having a new body," _I said to him.

He then smiled after hearing my response, "_Then here."_

My eyes were still locked on him as he began to pull out something that he had. I didn't know what it was at first, but after seeing it more closely, it was a black coat. So without another word, I walked over to my Master and slowly took the coat from his hand.

"_Consider it as a gift, after all, at your state right now, its better that you wear this," _he said looking at me.

As I examined the coat in my hands, I was a bit baffled….does my Master know why I'm here again….why I've reawakened?

"_Before we go any further in talking about your plan, I need to know a few things first," _I said turning my attention back to him.

"_Like?" _he asked.

"_Like…for starters, how did you know I was here?" _

"_Consider it as a lucky guess." _he responded back. "_Anything else?"_

I had a hunch he wasn't telling the truth on his response...some-how he knew I was here, but I just let it go.

On the other question...it was taking a shot, but I had a feeling he knew too…. "_Why… was I suddenly brought back?"_

It was a bit silent when I asked, but after a while, he finally answered.

"_I can pretty much say, you know about Sora right?" _he responded with a question.

"_Yes…yes I do, what about him?"_ I asked.

"_Well, as you already probably know, you share a secret connection with him. Believe it or not Vanitas, but after you were gone, what was left of you vanished into the little darkness in that boy's heart."_

I then raised an eyebrow, put the coat over my shoulder and crossed my arms, "_Yeah, I figured that since I know Sora's friend's names, Riku and Kairi, I lived in his darker side for so long, that some of his memories are mixed in with my own and Ven's."_

Then Xehanort smirked, "_And that alone is why you are now presented as his dark side too, not only Ven's." _

"_So…it's like a connection between the three of us…" _I said blandly.

"_Yes, and like all connections, you can communicate with him, by invading his mind."_

"_Yeah, and huh, where do you get to the part about me reawaking?" _I asked losing my patience.

"_Well, you probably won't know this but, there was a time, when he gave away his heart…he gave away everything what made him whole…so I guess you would say when he did that, he not only separated himself from Ven at the time, but also from you too…. he released you from the darkness he had in order to create his Heartless, thus making your shadowy existence linger to another world. It took time, since your existence is weak, but I finally found you ended up here." _

"_WEAK! I'M NOT WEAK!"_ I shouted at him; and like it always has been with my emotions, I once again leaked out a few of my creations….the Unversed. The familiar pain still had a hold on me, but I some-what found a small trick to endure it for a short time.

Though what I seemed to do didn't frighten my Master one bit…no, he just stood there amused, it's like if he loves getting me angry. He then waved his hand slightly, telling me to calm down.

"_Calm down Vanitas, I know you are a strong being, if you weren't, you wouldn't have been able to pull yourself together to even be here, I only say the term, weak since you don't have a body, and since you don't have a body, you're existence is more at risk of fading, that's why I gave you the coat, I did something to it, so it can protect you when you wear it," _he said.

I then took another look at my coat that I had on my shoulder, "_Mmmm…I guess that make sense….so what's the plan then?" _I asked wanting to cut to the chase; I mean really, it was another opportunity for me to get my salvation.

"_Well, I decided to go with a different approach into creating the x-blade. You see Van, if 13 dark vessels clash together with 7 lights, the result will be the war, as well as the x-blade being recreated," _he said half-smiling.

Yeah, at this point, I didn't really give a damn; I just wanted the _x_-blade. So I'll do whatever I have to do in order to obtain it.

"_So what do you want me to do?" _I asked.

"_Simple, all the positions are basically filled, we only need the last member, and since Ven use to be the tool to create the x-blade, Sora can now be the one to fill the final seat due to his influence."_

"_So in other words, you want me to kidnap him?" _

"_Yes, in fact when you do, bring Sora here," _he said looking at the quiet scenery.

"_After all, Sora is too nice for his own good, with all those hearts within him, who knows, it could lead him to his downfall," _Xehanort continued.

After a while it was quiet, but I eventually broke the silence.

"_Okay then…I guess I'm on my way," _I said walking passed him.

Without another word, I put on my coat and opened a dark portal, though before I went in, a small thought came across my mind.

My Master said to bring Sora to him since he is the key, but he didn't say that I couldn't have a little fun with him first.

Master said I can invade his mind…so why not make the ability useful. Mmmm…I could probably even give him a nightmare to boot. I can't kill him for real, but I can get a chance when he's dreaming. I could do it for kicks, and no harm would really be done since it will only be a dream.

"_Yeah, I'll go with that," _I said under my breath.

After that, I pulled over my hood and walked into the portal accompanied by the Unversed.

_**End of Flash Back**_

Yeah, that was the plan…to have Sora be the last dark vessel, that is, until my Master decided to do something different when I brought him. I then slowly walked over to a nearby window. As far as I could see when I looked out, we still haven't reached the destination which was Disney Castle.

Though after a second of looking out, I ended up being distracted by the reflection on the window's surface.

"_That face…that innocent looking face…" _I muttered to myself seeing Sora's reflection; his reflection was now my own since I have a hold on his body. I then slowly picked up my finger and ran it across the window.

"_It just doesn't make sense….why did he succumb to me so easily? Is he really that naïve like Ven, or does he still have it in his mind that I can be saved like everyone else he came in contacted with…"_

I then gave a small sigh.

"_I'll probably never forget the way he looked at me before I took over his body…"_

"_Those eyes…" _I said looking at them in the reflection…they're so pure, full of hope and determination…now corrupted by darkness.

_**End of Vanitas' POV**_

* * *

_**Flash Back**_

_**Sora's Point of View**_

I was still confined in the prison I was in…..no-where to go…no-where to run. But even though if I could run, I wouldn't. I thought long and hard about my idea, and….I guess I decided to take a chance and give in to whatever it is the people have in store for me.

After all, this isn't really the first time I do something this crazy, it was hazy at first, but the memory soon became clear as day when I remembered the time I gave my life for Kairi. I was willing to be consumed by the darkness as long as I knew she was safe; I….I didn't really care what would happen to me, I was only thinking of her safety, to have her life back exchange for mine. Hopefully entering deeper into my mind will help me find the key, to understand the people who are hurting and lessen their pain.

And in that moment without any further warning, I heard the door open. As I moved my head to the entrance, I registered in my mind it was a hooded figure, though after a second, the person removed the hood, revealing it to be Vanitas. Nonetheless, he greeted me with that cold cruel smirk upon his face.

"_Oh, how I love to see a plan go so smoothly," _he said walking towards me.

I then raised my head a little higher, "_Why are you doing this?" _

Though he just gave me a sour look, "_None of your business why! After all, it will be a waste of time to tell you, since you'll be gone soon." _

Then after a second, he took notice in how beaten and awful I looked; with the torn shirt, wound, and dried blood I had.

Without another word from him, he then kneeled down to my level and unexpectedly put his hand over my chest….over my wound.

"_Heal," _I heard him utter under his breath.

I saw that his hand started to glow green, and in an instant, his Key-blade appeared, activating the spell….it didn't make any sense, he is supposedly cruel and cold hearted, yet he is healing the wound that he gave me.

"_Why are you healing me, I thought you love hurting people?"_ I asked a bit confused.

He then chuckled, "_Don't get any ideas because of this, I haven't changed and never will, I'm just preparing the vessel, it has nothing to do with kindness or guilt," _he said.

After going by the little piece of memory I have of him, I'm beginning to wonder how Vanitas really was before he became this way…honestly, just by looking at him, I know he's hurting…just like everyone else, except the only difference, is that he refuses to get help and tries to do it himself. I'm not truly convinced he was born this dark as he says he is. Darkness may be scary, but it isn't bad; I guess it's like what Riku said, it's the matter of who is lurking inside it…

Vanitas is darkness himself….so is he truly bad?….

After a few minutes, the wound he had created, finally healed, I was good as new.

Vanitas then got up and glared at me, "_So then, are you going to come voluntarily, or am I going to have to pull you by the hair and drag with chains?" _he said harshly.

So without another word, I got up…I didn't really have much of choice since he had a tight grip on one of my arms. As we walked out of the room I had no idea where we were going.

It took a while, but I ended up being taken to a white room filled with tall chairs; it felt like they were surrounding me since I would see one everywhere I would turn. As I arrived, there was already an old man there, waiting for me. He looked at me and gave a smirk.

"_X-Xehanort?" _I questioned; it was the first thing that popped into my head.

Though he continued to give me that smirk….I didn't really expect him to be Xehanort, but something in the back of my head said that it was.

"_I brought him, now can we get this over with?" _Vanitas said a bit irritated.

"_Mmmm….now that we have him, I have a better idea in mind…" _Xehanort said.

Then I saw that Vanitas lost it, "_WHAT! YOU SAID-"_ though he was cut off.

"_You see Van, if I simply put a piece of my heart into the vessel, there will be no turning back…and at this rate if I did it now, it would be hard to push the 7 lights into clashing with us…they would refuse. So I have to give them a reason to fight with no other choice, that's where you come in."_

"_And the new plan is?"_

"_Simple, it will benefit you since you want a body right, well take Sora's, and once you do, find his friends and go to Disney Castle…go and destroy that world; when that happens, the king will be so mad that he and everyone else will be willing to fight."_

My eyes widen in horror, no…I couldn't allow this…my friends are in danger. Though before I could act, something immediately grabbed my entire body….it was those weird blue creatures that ended up holding me down to my knees.

"_There…so you won't leave," _Vanitas said looking at me.

I then saw he turned his attention back to Xehanort, "_I could have done that from the start if you just told me," _he said.

"_Oh, but that world is protected by an item called The Cornerstone of Light, I heard from Maleficent that it prevents darkness from invading the castle, and since you're a shadow, you can't even lay a finger on it, but if you have a body, it's a different story."_

"_So, I go to this world, take out the cornerstone, and it will be easier for me to destroy the world completely?"_

"_Yes, then you will be that much closer into getting the x-blade…this is just the beginning." _

No…no, I couldn't believe what I was hearing….I can't leave my friends like this, I had to do something, but at this rate I was helpless. I then looked directly and Vanitas without saying a word…looking at him with desperation. I think even at the cost of knowing what was going to happen, I started to feel tears emerging in my eyes; though Vanitas hardly showed any emotion when he looked at me.

"_Fine, I guess I'll do it," _he finally spoke.

With no words really left to say, I immediately put my head down facing the floor.

"_I'll let you take my body, if you promise not to hurt my friends…." _I said in my mind.

I wanted to say this to Vanitas, but knowing him, promises is just a waste of time since he'll predictability go against them and think I'm naïve for saying such a thing. But... maybe being with my friends…who knows, it might change him; this could be a test, to see if he's dark as he says he is.

And in that moment, I started to feel my existence being torn away from my body….his existence was overshadowing mine….so without a fight….I let him.

It felt more like welcoming another heart into my body….though coated with darkness…

_**End of Sora's POV**_

* * *

It was awfully quiet, but after a while, Sora finally moved and eliminated the Unversed that were binding him. As he slowly got up and moved his head higher, it was pretty clear that it was Vanitas since Sora's eyes displayed dark yellow instead of blue.

Vanitas then took a few moments getting use to the body.

"_Well, I better be going then, see you," _Vanitas said immediately walking away.

"_I see that you're anxious Vanitas, but just remember, you have to act like Sora when you're with his friends, that shouldn't be hard since you have a few of his memories, just don't blow your cover until you're there, okay." _Xehanort said.

"_Okay," _he then opened a dark portal….though it was a bit hazy. Since Vanitas is in a new body, his power of creating portals has been restrictedly limited; but that didn't really stop him from going through. After he did, the portal disappeared.

After Van's departure, someone else was unknowingly there, listening to the whole conversation; the person was hiding behind one of the chairs, but after a second, the figure finally made itself known.

"_Again, it was foolish of you to give Vanitas such a task, due to his actions; he might even eliminate the few lights we probably need to create the x-blade," _the person said from behind Xehanort.

But Xehanort stayed where he was and smiled.

"_Don't worry, light balances out darkness no matter what, in other words, even if Vanitas does have control, Sora will never let him go to that extreme" _Xehanort said.

"_So everything is going as planned," _the hooded figure said.

The hooded figure then walked over to Xehanort, and accompanied him.

Due to the person's hood up, the only thing that could be seen was the color of the eyes that represented pure darkness.

* * *

_Darkness may have outshined the light, but the question is, for how long..._


	11. A Memory

**"**_**A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory…a far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…."**_

* * *

Vanitas was still staring out the window bored out of his mind. He just kept thinking about his previous thoughts…trying to find out why Sora was acting so naïve. Everything around him was still silent as he kept staring out in space, though after a second, a faint knock on the door broke the silence and interrupted his thoughts.

Vanitas then heard the door open and slowly turned to see who it was. Without really showing an expression, he saw that it was Kairi.

"_This girl again?! Why does she keep following me?!" _Vanitas said in his mind a bit annoyed.

"_Kairi?" _Vanitas spoke, though still imitating Sora.

"_What is it? Is there something wrong?" _he asked worriedly.

Kairi then silently closed the door behind her, she wanted to say something, but for some reason, she was lost in words.

"_I know you said that you're feeling okay, but… I guess I still need to convince myself that you are," _she said slightly looking down at the floor. She still couldn't get the memory of Sora acting weird before leaving Destiny Islands out her head.

Without another word, Vanitas walked over to Kairi. He gently put his finger under her chin, picking her head up; the two were looking at each other.

"_I'm fine…I promise," _Vanitas said imitating Sora's gentle smile. He knew he was lying to her since obviously Sora wasn't even present.

It was still a bit quiet when the two kept looking at each other, though Vanitas continued to speak.

"_What will it take to convince you?" _he said giving a slight chuckle.

But Kairi didn't answer; she just kept staring into his ocean blue eyes.

"_I think I remember from Sora's memory, that this is the girl that he cares deeply for, but, never truly told her his feelings for her, and if that's really the case, then maybe…." _Vanitas said in his mind.

Without another word he then started to lean a little closer to Kairi. After a second, Kairi more likely did the same…in that moment, their lips finally touched; the two were sharing a kiss. To Kairi, it was hers and Sora's first kiss. Though to Vanitas, it was only an act to convince her that he was Sora. Since Sora cares for her, Vanitas thinks by giving her a kiss, it will blind her enough to believe he was telling the truth… even though he really isn't.

But then another knock on the door immediately broke the two up. As _Sora _and Kairi turned their attention to the door as it opened, they saw it was Riku.

"_Oh, I'm sorry… am I interrupting something," _Riku said looking at the two, though mostly to Sora.

"_No, we were just talking," _Kairi quickly said; though Riku wasn't really convinced since he saw that she was slightly blushing along with Sora.

"_Right," _Riku said sarcastically raising an eyebrow.

"_Well, anyway, Donald told me to tell you two that we are close to landing….s_o _better get ready," _Riku continued.

"_Okay, thanks for letting us know," _Sora said to his friend.

"_This is just too perfect; they don't suspect a thing, though I still need to keep an eye on Riku," _Vanitas said in his mind.

After quite some time, the gang finally made it to their destination; Disney Castle. To Riku and Kairi, this was a new world to them, but of course to Donald and Goofy, it was their home.

As Donald drove into the world and parked the ship, everyone immediately got off.

"_Well, we're here, let's go, the king is probably waiting for us," _Donald said leading the way.

As Goofy, Riku, and Kairi followed, Sora stayed behind still looking at his surroundings.

"_Okay, where are you you little thing," _Vanitas said in his mind still eyeing the machinery around the place. Unfortunately for Vanitas, he didn't quite know how the castle was displayed since only Sora had been here before; Vanitas didn't even know that the room he was in, is the room where all the machinery and equipment is kept for the Gummi ship's launch.

Slowly he raised his hand and darkness emerged over his palm. He simply gave an evil smile and casted the small piece of darkness to the floor. As the darkness made contact to the ground, it began to take form. Nonetheless, the dark shadow took shape into a small Unversed.

The creature's demented red eyes were staring at Vanitas' new body.

Vanitas then kneeled down facing the creature, "_Now it's time for you to be of use to me," _he said coldly to the small thing.

The Unversed did nothing, but listen to his Master.

"_Listen and listen good, there is something very important in this castle that I want you to find, it's called The Cornerstone of Light, once you sense its purity and its location, come back to me and let me know, understand," _he said.

The Unversed nodded and without another word of instruction, the dark being flew and vanished into the deep cracks of the walls beginning its search.

"_Good, better join the others before they wonder where I'd run off to," _he said getting up.

As he started walking, what he didn't know was that a figure was watching him the whole time. The figure was no one other than Riku, since everyone was following Donald and Riku noticed Sora wasn't with them, he went back to go get him, and ended up seeing and hearing everything.

"_So, I guess the scent I picked up earlier was right, something terrible did happen to Sora, and now a demon is posing as him, the castle…is in danger," _Riku said in his mind eyeing at the imposter.

* * *

**_Sora's Point of view_**

Where….where am I? Rrrrgh…my head…it feels like it's burning. I slowly put my hand over my head... hoping for it to stop, eventually after a couple of seconds...it did.

Where am I? What is this place? These questions kept repeating in my head. As I shifted my body a little forward, it felt like I was lying on something very cold, and hard. So to see, I lowered my head, and saw that I was resting on a blue circular platform. Strangely, just seeing this place, it felt like déjà vu...like if I had been here before. Then that's when it hit me...I was only here briefly, it was the time when I first confronted Roxas...though, I was blind enough to not even make the connection that he was me when he said I was a good other.

As I examined the platform further; I saw that there was an image displayed upon it. Without really much thought, I then slowly got up, and saw the entire picture; the picture displayed was me, along with the four people that influenced me the most…my friends, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy; I guess, now I had time to look at the image since last time, I was only thinking of defending myself in battle and wasn't really thinking of my surroundings completely.

I remember Vanitas took over my body….so I guess with that, I ended up being taken to this place, to the inside of my heart.

After a second, I began walking aimlessly around the platform…thinking. I remember…I wanted to know more about the people I was suppose to save, but the way things are now, I don't really think I'm going to get that chance. Mmmm…if only I knew when the hurting first began…maybe that alone could tell me something.

As I was already use to the silence surrounding me, something immediately snapped, breaking the quiet atmosphere. The snap I heard….it sounded like if something was breaking….but what?

Then it hit me, as I looked down to my feet, a large range of cracks were emerging, and the snaps I heard earlier, were pieces from the edge of the platform that already broke off.

From the sight of seeing the platform breaking apart, my body suddenly felt excruciating heavy and weak. _What is going on?_ Within time, it felt like my heart was aching, I automatically put my hand over my chest clinging on to it…I started to feel pain I could hardly endure…I wanted it to stop.

Eventually, I started to feel my body grow cold, along with my legs trembling as well…I couldn't hold myself any longer, so I finally collapsed to my knees still clinging on to my chest. Oddly enough, it felt like my heart was being shattered…though; I didn't know how it resulted so quickly for it to end up like this.

In the end, I was helpless…my entire heart, felt like it was being shattered like glass. All the pieces broke right under my weak body. Without really much to say or do….I fell lifelessly….along with my pieces.

"_If only I knew when the hurting first began…."_

**_End of Sora's POV_**

* * *

Sora was lying lifelessly on the ground; not moving, but surprisingly… still breathing. He may look dead, but oddly enough, he wasn't. The sun was shining below him as he continued to sleep on the ground.

It took time, but eventually, he finally woke up…. even though he seemed fine, he wasn't the same as it displayed in his eyes. No, they were dull, empty, and lifeless as can be. What happened to him was a mystery, the only thing shown...was him being in a zombie-like state.

Sora slowly got up to his feet, and started looking around seeing where he ended up now. As he looked, there was nothing but an empty wasteland, nothing interesting to see really; it was like a graveyard. Unknowingly to him, he was in the world of the Key-blade Graveyard.

"_Am….am I dreaming again, or is this a memory… since I think I've been here before," _Sora said slowly to himself wondering; he just kept circling around, looking at the dead deserted sight.

It was awfully quiet as Sora continued to walk deeper into the world…though he immediately stopped when he started to hear faint foot-steps coming his way.

"_Huh? Who's….there?" _Sora asked; turning towards the direction he heard the noise coming from.

Though there was no response, he just kept hearing the foot-steps getting louder and louder. As they did, a couple a voices started to be heard from a far as well. Eventually, the two vague figures came into view, walking towards Sora; the figures revealed themselves to be Ventus and Master Xehanort walking along side him.

"_R-Roxas?" _Sora questioned again when he saw Ven. But again; there was no communication between them what's so ever. Then as Sora looked at him more closely…it finally clicked.

"_No…it's…Ventus," _he uttered softly to the air.

As Sora continued to see the two walk, surprisingly as they came close, Ven practically walked right through Sora and continued to walk pass him. At the sight of seeing what just happened…it startled Sora a little, but not completely since in a way, he wasn't all there at the moment for some reason.

"_Mmm….looks like I'm just a ghost to them," _Sora said turning back looking at Ven.

But after discovering this, it didn't really stop Sora from following them. He was curious since he saw Xehanort with Ven.

"_Master, now can you tell me why you brought me here?" _Ven asked his Master while looking around the unfamiliar world.

Xehanort then gave a small smile, and rested his hand over one of Ven's shoulders, "_Well, you have been training really hard these past few days, and I just thought you would like a change of sight for practicing for a change."_

Ven then thought about what he said for a moment, but eventually he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"_No, I don't really believe that's the reason, just seeing this world….dead, it kind of gives me the creeps," _Ven said taking another look at the dreadful sight.

"_And what you just said right now is why we are here…its part of your training Ven, you see, I sense so much good and strong power in you, but you lack the ability of letting go and unleashing that power. That power will make you stronger._

_What is stopping you from accomplishing this goal…is fear, you fear to let go, so today I'm taking you out of your comfort zone, hoping that alone will get me the result I'm looking for….instead of being afraid Ven….I want you to take that fear and sharpen it into rage instead," _Xehanort concluded.

"_Huh….I guess…I'll try," _Ven said to him; though he scratched the back of his head feeling a bit uneasy and doubtful… he felt that he wouldn't be able to do it no matter how hard he would try.

"_Good boy," _Xehanort said rubbing the top of Ven's head.

"_Ven…use to be trained by Xehanort? What is going on?" _Sora wondered as he continued to see the entire scene play out.

"_So what am I going to be doing exactly?" _Ven questioned.

"_Simple, since we are going out of your comfort zone, I'll be giving you targets you haven't seen before, your goal is to destroy them without showing a single drop of fear," _Xehanort said to the boy.

"_O-okay," _Ven said still feeling a little nervous.

"_Now just wait here, I'll send the targets once I'm up on that cliff over there, don't worry, I'll be watching you, so you're not alone," _Xehanort said.

With that said, Ven did as instructed and his Master went off to the cliff taking his position.

"_I….have a bad feeling about this," _Sora said turning his attention to Xehanort.

" _Ready?!" _Xehanort asked down below to Ven.

As soon as Ven heard his Master speak, he immediately reached out his right hand and summoned his Key-blade in an instant. He was fully focused with a high range of determination and confidence reflecting in his pure blue eyes.

"_Ready!" _Ven said taking his fighting stance.

Xehanort did nothing, but give a slight smirk; he was hoping this little experiment of his would work since his goal is to get one thing, and one thing only…the _x_-blade.

In an instant, he then raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the creatures he planned to bring forward, were unleashed. Darkness immediately surrounded Ven, he was a little startled, but he tried to stay his ground attempting to not show fear as instructed. Soon after, each dark form, took shape into a monster…a monster that Ven never laid eyes on in his entire life. The thought of seeing them and slowly surrounding him was beginning to be overwhelming for Ven.

He then raised his weapon a little higher defensively, instead of attempting to strike, _"W-what are these things?" _he asked himself feeling extremely terrified inside. Within every moment, the dark creatures were coming closer and closer, staring at him with those dark glowing yellow eyes; if looking at the entire picture, Ven looked helpless, basically trapped like a rat.

"_Heartless…." _Sora muttered, looking at the creatures surrounding Ven.

He then formed his right hand in a tight fist, "_If…if only I could do something…but…I…can't. I'm just as helpless as he is right now," _Even though he didn't want to look, Sora kept watching.

Then within a second, it look like Ven completely lost it, it was too much for him to handle, he immediately turned calling out to his Master….pleading for him to stop.

"_I can't do this Master! Please don't do this to me…..I'm…I'm just not strong enough!" _Ven shouted.

But Xehanort still remained where he was and kept looking upon Ven with his cold eyes, "_No, it's like what I said before Ven, you are trying to hold it in._

_Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart. Release them here and now, again, sharpen your fear into rage! If you don't, you will forever be a weakling and wiped from existence very easily, make no mistake of that. So do it, embrace the darkness!" _

"_He wants me to what? Embrace the darkness, he didn't say that earlier," _Ven said in his mind focusing on the dark shadows coming closer to him.

Ven was scared out his mind to do anything, he was clearly trembling in fear, giving into the darkness was probably the last thing that would ever come across his mind…he just couldn't bear the thought, he just wanted it to end, he didn't want his Master to do this to him…to abandon him.

"_Do it now, produce the x-blade for me!" _Ven heard his Master's call once again; and in that particular moment, it seemed like time slowed down in Ven's perspective…lost in thought.

"_So…the truth comes out. No wonder he would always push me over my limitations during my training. It was really rough and torture-some for me, but I would always find a way to look at the bright side since I'd respected him, but…now I know he only did that to get this x-blade…he…never cared about me….never," _Ven said in his mind; it really seemed like he wanted to break down and cry, but frozen in fear was prohibiting him to do anything.

And just when things couldn't get any worse for him, in an instant, one of the Heartless jumped, raising its claw, charging at a scared vulnerable Ventus.

At the sight of seeing this, it seemed like life was immediately brought back into Sora's blank eyes. His eyes widen in horror as he saw the Heartless rip the Key-blade out of Ven's hand leaving him defenseless; surprisingly due to the attack of the claw, Ven's hand ended up bleeding as well. Even though Sora couldn't be seen or heard, he couldn't help, but scream out Ven's name.

"_VENTUS!" _Sora cried out.

In an instant, the Key-blade landed on the ground and vanished. Even though Ven was in pain, he still couldn't really function properly since he was frozen in fear…he couldn't think clearly, he was basically all alone….abandon by his Master. Then in a second, another Heartless jumped and raised its claw…this time targeting Ven for sure. All that came to Ven was shielding himself with his arms and screaming bloody murder.

Sora was completely horrified when he saw the Heartless hit Ven; literally knocking him down to the ground unconscious.

"_No…" _Sora whispered out.

Ven looked lifeless on the ground as the remaining Heartless circled around him.

"_They're…they're going to devour his heart," _Sora said in his mind.

To the Heartless…Ven was no one other than a piece of food to consume.

Xehanort had a disgusted face in seeing what just happened, this wasn't what he had indented, he was confident that Ven was going to give in and bring what he wanted, but sadly, his experiment failed; crumbling down to the core, leaving a big hole in his plan.

"_Enough of this," _Xehanort said coldly.

He then raised his hand and snapped his fingers again; the Heartless then vanished in a blink of an eye leaving Ven alone.

It took time, but Xehanort eventually got off the cliff and walked down towards Ven's level. He stopped when he finally reached him, looking down at him disgusted; Ven reflected himself as a failed experiment than a human being in Xehanort's eyes. He just picked up one of his feet and rested it upon Ven's body.

"_Really…you would rather die, than use that power?" _he said pressing his foot hard against Ven's unconscious body. It seemed at this point he wanted to get rid of him, but after quite some thought, he found a more suitable punishment for the likes of him…it almost felt like if he was doing Ven a favor.

"_Feckless neophyte_…._if you kept refusing to give in, might as well extract the darkness from within your heart then," _he said turning Ven over with his foot.

Then without hesitation, Xehanort summoned his Key-blade and pointed it down over Ven's chest.

After seeing so much, it seemed like Sora forgotten he was invisible, so out of anger he charged at Xehanort...wanting him to stop.

"_You monster!" _Sora said to him as he ran towards Xehanort.

But…with a failed attempt, Sora just went right through him, and ended up losing his balance in the process; He fell to the ground close to Ven.

Sora recovered, but only got up to his knees, he turned and saw that the tip of the blade started to glow and eventually…a beam shot out… just like a gun firing out a bullet…hitting Ven's chest.

Ven's eyes immediately opened wide once the beam made contact, Sora just looked at him…feeling extremely helpless, shock and pain were heavily displayed in Ven's innocent blue eyes; it was like the life was being brutally sucked out of his body. He was so tired and weak; he couldn't even choke out a scream no matter how much pain was running through his veins.

As soon as the beam disappeared, his pure heart unraveled…hovering elegantly above his chest.

"_His….heart," _Sora said staring at the orb.

Pretty soon, the heart flew higher and darkness magically started to appear…swallowing up the heart…leaving no light to breathe underneath its cold dark blanket. Sora's eyes widen when he saw that the darkness then started to take shape. The dark figure soon took shape into a person; a new human being. In an instant, by the way the figure was dressed, and due to seeing him before, Sora connected that the dark being he was seeing…was Vanitas.

"_Vanitas…no," _Sora then turned his attention back to Ven. Seeing Ven not showing any movements what so ever…it looked like if he was dead; like if Xehanort murdered him. Sora instantly saw the life fade away from within Ven's eyes; they were now empty and lifeless…like how Sora's was a minute ago.

With all this Sora had to take in, he started to feel choked up inside; like if he had a huge lump in his throat, the pain, the feeling, it was extremely horrifying for him to endure. Eventually, tears some-how managed to find their way out, falling freely down Sora's cheeks.

"_Ven…" _he whispered out.

Even though the tears were still falling, Sora turned his attention back to Xehanort and Vanitas. Vanitas floated down unknowingly next to Sora…his face covered by the dark helmet.

"_Empty creature from Ventus' riven, the name Vanitas shall be given," _Xehanort said to him. Hardly showing any emotion in his voice, Van responded.

"_Yes…Master," _he said sounding monotone.

"_So…this is when the hurting first began…" _Sora said to himself looking over at Ven again.

"_One thing I learned from watching all this…is that Xehanort wanted the x-blade back then, and judging by what is going on now, he is still trying to obtain it…to reset the war._

_I think, I remember him saying the word, " x-blade," in a way to persuade Vanitas into working alongside him; it was before Vanitas took over my body when I heard him say it. _

_It just tells me… that Xehanort will do the unthinkable in order to reach his goal, he will do whatever it takes, no matter what the cost…even if it means ruining innocent lives… like Ven for example…and possibly Vanitas..since now I know for sure he's apart of Ven."_

Even though Sora couldn't make contact, and was well aware of the fact, he still raised his hand and rested it along the surface of Ven's wounded palm. It looked like if Sora wanted to hold his hand, but not surprisingly, Sora's fingers slowly went through…still not able to make his presence known.

"_A __scattered dream that's like a far-off memory…a far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…."_

And in an instant, the image of Sora's platform breaking apart played back in his mind. He realized, in order to find this memory he just witnessed, he unknowingly shattered his heart into pieces… in order to look for the far-off ones that were hidden deep inside. But to him deep down, everything felt like a dream, but in a way, also a memory.

So Sora wasn't too sure if this was the case, if he really did break his own heart…was there a way to pick up the pieces again, or was he finally lost…an empty vessel that will be trapped under Vanitas' control forever.

Sora eyes then suddenly became empty and lifeless again…still looking over at Ven.

"_I want to line the pieces up….yours….and mine…" _he faintly whispered.


	12. Hazy But Still Here

"_**Look into my eyes…what do you see? Nothing…not a light to be seen. Your friend…is gone… he had willingly given into the darkness…." **_

**_-Vanitas_**

* * *

"_So, I guess the scent I picked up earlier was right, something terrible did happen to Sora, and now a demon is posing as him, the castle…is in danger," _Riku said in his mind eyeing at the imposter.

Without really a moment to lose, Riku put his right hand behind his back and silently summoned his Key-blade.

"_You monster…what did you do to my friend?" _Riku asked in his mind still looking at the imposter.

As _Sora_ was walking out, he spotted Riku from the corner of his eye. So Sora turned and caught up to greet his friend…or in this case apologized for not following the others.

"_Hey, sorry you had to come back and get me…." _Sora said scratching the back of his head, giving a small laugh.

"_I guess I wanted to see what's changed, since it has been a while since my last visit here," _he continued still putting up a smile.

Though Riku wasn't the least forgiving or amused; it was displayed in his eyes that he was dead serious….like if he didn't want to be messed with.

It was a bit quiet, but then in a split second, Riku immediately pulled out his Key-blade and pushed the blade hard against Sora's neck; Riku ended up having him pinned against the wall because of this. It was very clear in his eyes that he was angry; Riku wanted answers and wanted them now.

But Vanitas still didn't blow his cover…he tried as best as he could to show fear and confusion through Sora's eyes.

"_R-Riku…what are you doing?"_ Sora asked terrified looking at his friend.

Then Riku put the Key-blade even closer to his neck…..

"_Cut the crap! I know my best friend, and well guess what, I know for a fact that you're not him," _Riku said angrily to Vanitas.

Once Vanitas heard that statement…it was over; no use to keep pretending now. He then changed his expression; portraying himself to be more serious in his 'sudden' darker blue eyes.

"_Well, well, well, aren't you the smart one, may I ask, what gave it away?" _Vanitas asked having an amused twisted smile.

"_You're scent…you reek of darkness, that's what gave it away." _Riku responded still having Vanitas pinned against the wall.

"_But enough of this...where's Sora? What did you do to him?!" _Riku snapped.

Then to Riku's surprise, Vanitas started to laugh, amused by his question. But it just made Riku even madder, after all, it's his best friend he is talking about, he didn't really seemed be in a gaming mood. Eventually, Vanitas finally spoke.

"_You're looking at him...or at least his body," _he said still having a twisted smile.

"_What do you mean?" _Riku asked.

"_Mmm….knowing you, you're probably not going to like what I'm about to say next," _Vanitas said trailing off a bit.

"_Tell me!" _Riku said infuriated... wanting him to spit it out.

The Key-blade was already digging into the surface of Sora's neck; a drop of blood suddenly appeared and started to roll silently down the blade.

Vanitas felt the pain….but wasn't really affected by it; he was as hard as stone, hardly showing any emotion of hurt, after all, to Vanitas, he had suffered far more pain in his life than what he was dealing with right now.

"_Look into my eyes…what do you see?" _Vanitas asked.

But this question only confused Riku…the person he was seeing before him looked like his best friend, but his eyes were surprisingly darker than usual as stated before.

"_You see nothing….nothing, not a light to be seen through these eyes. What I'm getting at Riku…is…" _Van said.

Then from out of nowhere, dark aura was surrounding his body, it startled Riku a little, but he stood his ground. But to his surprise, it seemed like something, or someone grabbed him from the back, catching him off guard and made him lose his grip on Vanitas.

To Riku's surprise, what grabbed him, and now had a hold on him, was a large blue creature, unknowingly for Riku, it was an Unversed that was binding him down to his knees. Vanitas was no longer trapped against the wall; it seemed like in the quickest way, the tables had turned, since now Riku was the one who was captured…or in this case, trapped.

"_I didn't really harm your friend…strike that, at least not that much anyways, but your friend is gone….he had willingly given into the darkness," _Vanitas finished, walking up to Riku who was struggling to break free.

Though it seemed like if Vanitas was right, it was something Riku didn't want to hear at all. Riku always pictured Sora as an innocent, caring and a bit naïve, teenage boy, never in a million years Sora would do an absurd thing like giving into the darkness…it just didn't compute; so Riku quickly denied it…he didn't like the answer, nor wanted to hear it again.

"_You're lying! Sora would never give into the darkness!" _Riku shouted having his eyes closed.

But Vanitas just shook his head, like if he was already bored, to him; this confrontation was pointless, and since Riku wasn't really the target… he didn't really feel like getting his hands dirty…at least not yet, since everyone else hasn't figured out the truth about Van's identity yet.

Vanitas then gave a small sigh and summoned his own Key-blade; this time it wasn't Sora's. He put the tip of the blade underneath Riku's chin.

"_Oh quit whining you baby, and get over it! Things don't stay pure forever, he gave in, so now I have total control over his body, that's it, end of story," _Vanitas said angrily.

"_So…then who are you?"_ Riku finally asked.

"_Vanitas…that is my name," _he spoke.

"_And well…I shouldn't really do this, since I'll be going against the Master's orders, but whatever…as far as it concerns you now, you know too much, you must be eliminated," _Vanitas said still examining Riku; though Riku didn't say a word, he just looked at Vanitas disgusted for what he had done to his friend.

He wanted to wipe that smirk off Van's face, but his hand with the Key-blade was forcefully being held back; so in other words, he couldn't move even if he wanted to.

Without another word, Vanitas slowly raised his weapon; he was going to strike Riku. It took a second, but the Key-blade was gaining dark maximum energy; in translation, dark aura was swirling rapidly around the blade….this was truly going to be Riku's end, or so he thought.

Just when Vanitas was going to strike….something surprisingly stopped him in his tracks. His eyes widen in shock while his body was frozen; he couldn't move. It was like an unseen force was pulling him back, to not give the final blow.

"_What! What is this?!" _Vanitas said sharply still not able to move.

And in that moment, his head started to burn….similar to how Sora would react whenever Vanitas would invade his mind.

"_I'll let you take my body, if you promise not to hurt my friends…."_ Sora's voice echoed in the way back of Vanitas' mind.

This first surprised Vanitas since he thought _he_ could only invade Sora's mind, but it seems now since they are sharing the same body, their minds are co-existing, which allows Sora to have the ability to invade Vanitas' mind as well and vice versa. Though since darkness had overshadowed the light, the light is starting to grow dim.

_"Please….don't…." _a faint voice called out from within the darkness.

Without a doubt, Vanitas knew that the voice belonged to Sora; though it was kind of hard to tell at first since Sora's voice seemed at the point of giving out; like if he was dying. With this happening, it could only mean one thing, darkness really was smothering him….that…along with the possibility of his heart being broken into pieces.

Riku was awfully confused in what was happening, since Vanitas just stood there frozen…like if he was fighting with himself. Then that's when it clicked in his mind.

_"It's Sora…he's still in there," _Riku said in his mind; he figured there was still hope into getting back his best friend.

Though sadly, Sora's condition is so serious….that he may be at risk of not returning at all; if only Riku knew….

Even though this couldn't be seen by Riku, a faint shadow…or a spirit, started to emerge in front of Vanitas. To his surprise, the hazy shadow was Sora; though just like Ven years ago, he was see-through. It was clear as day that Sora looked like a total zombie….he had no pupils in his eyes; they were empty and lifeless. It seemed like they eventually stayed that way after he finished witnessing Van's and Ven's first memory.

The memory seemed like Ven's demise and yet at the same time, Van's birth…..

Even after enduring all the hurt Sora first stepped into….a small calm smile still sprouted across his face; looking at Vanitas. Even though Vanitas was in Sora's body, when looking at Van, Sora see Van's true self…or the self that he gave him.

Without another word, Sora slowly put one of his hands over Van's Key-blade. He lowered the blade down, more likely telling Vanitas to stop without having to say a word. Vanitas let Sora lower his weapon, but not because he was listening, it was because of shock... he was seeing Sora's presence, so it made him speechless; he didn't know what to say.

He thought he was rid of Sora for good…and yet, even at the point of possibly losing his life, he is still managing to keep fighting and kicking to be alive. And as Vanitas looked into Sora's lifeless eyes….it seemed like déjà vu all over again…there it was…that same hopeful twinkle in his eye…just like Ven many, many years ago.

_"Mmmm….I can sense that you really are stubborn, I keep saying I'll never change, yet you still have this fantasy of me being good and can be saved like the rest…."_ Vanitas said to Sora a bit annoyed.

_"Pitiful really, you're just wasting your energy….but since you did this….I guess I'll let your friend live a little longer, but that doesn't change the fact that the x-blade will soon be mine…once when I destroy this world," _Vanitas finished.

Sora's eyes widen in shock, but then the expression quickly faded into sadness, he knew it was a predictable response coming from Vanitas, but he was hoping deep down that Van might have reconsidered, but then again, that alone is probably asking too much in his case. So nonetheless, Sora vanished…gone without a trace.

Since Sora's presence was no more, Vanitas thought it was over, though he suddenly started to feel the burning sensation in his head again, but this time it was really faint; so it didn't really count as burning, more like a small headache.

"_Vanitas….if you keep this up….that emptiness inside you…will never be filled….." _Sora's faint voice echoed once more in the deepest darkness.

But nonetheless, after hearing this statement, it just made Vanitas angry.

"_Hmph….who do you think you are you brat? I'm doing what is right for me. Once I get the x-blade, my emptiness will be filled…you don't even have a right to speak since I'm in control…YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH! NOW SHUT UP!" _Vanitas said in his mind talking to Sora.

* * *

After that, Sora was silent, but it seemed like what he said, probably gave him an answer to his question. He been wondering why Vanitas was the way he is, he wondered what could have happened to him in making him so coldhearted and cruel; and when he would ask Van straight-forward, he would always get the same response… that he was always rotten, even at the time of his birth and says that he would never change.

But now, in a way, the truth sort of came out when Sora made Van mad. Van wasn't so evil in the beginning since he said out of anger, 'you don't know what I've been through.' Now, it was pretty clear to Sora that the first memory he saw….it wasn't only Ven who got hurt…it was Vanitas as well.

"_So…something did happen to him… making him this way….now the question is, what was it?" _Sora said to himself.

Though as Sora was floating aimlessly in the dark unknown... darkness was drawing near…suffocating him… little…by little.

* * *

After the headache was gone, Vanitas turned his attention to Riku. He was still being tied down by the Unversed. Van then put his hand over the side of his neck…feeling the small cut…remembering the slight pain that Riku inflicted on him earlier, though the pain didn't compare to what Sora did to him just now. Making him remember the pain…the suffering he had to endure years and years ago and still have to now.

Pretty soon with the healing spell, the cut disappeared. Vanitas then raised his Key-blade once more at Riku.

"_And as for you," _he snarled.

And just in a blink of an eye, Vanitas swung his Key-blade at Riku; literally knocking him out cold. The Unversed descended, resulting in Riku to fall on the floor. As he did, his Key-blade vanished.

Vanitas then put one of his feet over Riku's back; glaring at him. Hatred and anger were heavily displayed from within Sora's eyes; after all, Vanitas still had control over the body.

"_Me and my big mouth," _he muttered under his breath.

"_Enjoy your little slumber…because once you wake up and we face each other again, I'll have no restraints, in other words…you will die," _Vanitas said coldly.

With that said, Vanitas left… abandoning Riku.

* * *

It took Van time since he didn't quite know the castle, but he eventually found his way to the Library. To his luck, everyone was there….Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Daisy, and most importantly…the king and Queen, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Still portraying himself as Sora, he gave a bright smile, greeting everyone as he walked in.

"_Sora, where were you? We were thinking that you might have gotten lost somehow," _Goofy said.

"_Oh….well I was just exploring, but I kind of figured I needed to be here now since I didn't want people getting the wrong idea that if something bad might have happened to me," _Sora said to Goofy.

"_Oh, well it seems Riku ended up being worried, so he went looking for you," _Mickey said.

"_Mmmm….I wouldn't really worry, he probably gotten a little lost when he was looking for me," _Sora said to Mickey.

"_I'm pretty sure without a doubt he'll find his way here eventually," _he finished.

After Sora finished talking, what he said made Mickey extremely suspicious. He thought it over and figured….Sora wouldn't really say not to worry, Mickey thought he would say something along the lines of maybe offering or saying to everyone to go look for him since he's his friend. Sora wouldn't be extremely worried, but slightly nonetheless. What Sora just said now, it didn't really seemed like he cared about his friend at all.

But Mickey pushed his suspicions aside and talked.

"_Well…this is awfully a big castle, so it wouldn't hurt to split up and look for him," _he said.

"_Right, we all will go," _Minnie said.

"_Okay, though I think I'll stay here, you know, just in case he does come…I wouldn't really want to get lost myself in the castle," _Sora said to Mickey.

"_That's fine, let's go everyone," _Mickey said; though as he walked out the door, his eyes couldn't really pull himself away from Sora's appearance.

With that, _Sora _was left alone in the library, while everyone else went off in different directions, beginning their search for Riku.

It was awfully quiet while he was waiting. Van just kept examining the millions of books the library had to offer on the shelves. Vanitas then raised his finger, and ran it across… feeling the multiple book's hard covers. He was bored, so he was trying to see if there was something interesting to read while waiting. But after a while, he sensed his creation nearby.

Without a doubt, a dark blue shadow appeared and just as quick as a bug, the shadow flew along the floor to Vanitas and popped out of the surface.

The Unversed took upon its usual form, and stared blankly at its Master.

"_So…you found it?" _Vanitas asked.

At first, the small creature didn't say anything, but then it jumped and landed on Vanitas' shoulder or Sora's in this case. Vanitas then slowly raised his right hand and started softly petting the top of the creature's head; he wasn't really too fond of these Unversed since he saw them as his walking weaknesses, but when they are the only thing that you have, you come to succumb to it, so… Vanitas some-what gives them a little affection, now and then because of this.

The Unversed then leaned close to Van's ear, it couldn't really be understandable, but the creatures had a type of language that only Vanitas could understand. The Unversed was whispering to him everything its seen.

After it had finished, Vanitas then made an evil smirk.

"_Show me where it is then….lead the way," _he said still some-what petting it.

And without another word, The Unversed obeyed its Master; it jumped off and started taking form into a shadow again; sinking into the floor.

As the Unversed led the way, Vanitas followed.

"_This world...will finally be at its end." _


	13. Caring?

_**"Light and darkness are basically two sides of the same coin...both are equal and can't really live without one another..."**_

* * *

**_Sora's Point-of-view_**

I couldn't move, I could even hardly breathe. The darkness…it was really holding a strong grip. The dark shadows that were binding my body…it really felt like if it was trying to crush me to death; kind of like how a snake would kill its prey. This could only mean one thing…the longer Vanitas has control, the bigger his darkness that I have now inside me will grow. I grow weaker, along with the darkness trying to consume me as well.

I knew I had given into him…but, I thought I could keep my distance and fight from this dreadful taste of darkness; though, I guess I was way over my head on this one, since it's starting to get the better of me. Maybe the darkness has gotten to me…which is why I was so quick to succumb to Vanitas… and not just because I wanted to see if he would change if he was with my friends.

Honestly, I don't really know what I'm saying anymore. It really does feel like the darkness is corrupting my mind, since it's saying to give in deeper…to give up and fade away into nothingness. But, I know for a fact I cannot do that. All those people who are hurting...and need my help, I can't abandon them…so I can't give up. This thought alone, is probably the only thing saving me from disappearing completely.

And…if I'm really going to save them, I think I'm going to have to start by trying to talk some sense into Vanitas first to get anywhere…or more less to even get out of this prison. Still…what he said to me out of anger, it really makes me want to know more about him…and help him, even if he probably doesn't want it.

After all, anything is possible, I remember Riku was driven into the dark depths of darkness and everyone was quick to give up on him, but…I didn't, I tried by best to help him…to bring him back once again to the light, and well…he may be struggling a bit now, but I succeeded in bringing him back. So, if I was able to do it for Riku, I'm positive I can surely do the same for Vanitas; the way he sounded…it seemed like if he was lost and walked the wrong path, and well…now I have to try and guide him to the right path. Though, just the way he is, I know it's not going to be easy; I'll probably be getting many and many lashes from him before reaching the reasoning part.

Still, even though I want to know what happened to him, which made him the way he is, I kind of want to see first in what he was like before that 'event' happened. What was he like? Since he was separated from Ven, how was their relationship like between the two? Did Vanitas hate Ven, or did he care about him? Does Vanitas even have the ability to even _care _for someone other than thinking about himself? I want to know….

**_End of Sora's POV_**

* * *

The dark shadows still had a strong hold on Sora's body, yet, even though the darkness was trying to devour him, he tried the best he could to stay strong. Surprisingly for him, out of the darkness that was surrounding him, a small glimmer of light broke out. As it came closer to Sora, the light started to grow, it was to the point where the light was so great…it diminished the shadows that were binding him; he was now free…though still incredibly weak.

Sora was still floating as the small light came closer, inches away from his face. His lifeless eyes reflected the beauty of the warm light as he gazed upon it. As Sora continued his gaze, the light represented itself more clearly; what Sora was really looking at….was a piece of glass crafted into a small diamond giving off its glow.

"_Glass?" _he softly said looking at it.

It took time, but then a vivid flashback came back into his head; he remembered….when his platform broke; more likely representing his heart. Then after that, another image came as well. Seeing himself looking over at Ven saying…._I want to line the pieces up, yours and mine. _

Without another word, Sora then grabbed the small diamond and held it close to his face. Within a second, the small diamond reflected Ven's face from the glass's surface and then to Vanitas, after that, the image quickly disappeared. Sora then held the diamond tighter in his palm, nearly crushing it.

"_What…what is this?" _Sora asked.

And to his surprise, the glow of the diamond immediately became brighter, nearly blinding Sora…though; he was now bathed in the light and couldn't see anything.

After a couple of seconds, the light descended, giving Sora back his vision. As Sora looked around, he realized he was transported into another place…or another memory in this case since he was in one before. Though as he heard the calm sound of the waves, felt the breeze of the wind moving across his hair, and hearing the presence of seagulls, his eyes widen in shock…he connected that he was in his home world…Destiny Islands.

"_What…my Island? That-that can't be right?" _he said walking over to the shore.

As Sora walked close to the ocean, he kneeled down and looked over at the water seeing his reflection. Apparently since he's witnessing another memory, his eyes had life in them again and weren't dull. But he figured once when he leaves, they would go back to how they were…empty.

"_Still…" _Sora said to himself making ripples in the water with his finger.

"_I don't get it, how can this world be a part of Van and Ven's memory…?" _Sora was puzzled, thinking of an explanation.

But soon enough, his eyes started to trail off, looking at a vague figure sitting on the Paopu fruit tree.

"_Huh? Who is that?" _

So due to Sora's curiosity, he walked towards the figure's direction; more than likely taking the bridge leading to the site.

As he finally come close, he saw that the figure was Vanitas. Sora was a bit startled at first since he remembered when Vanitas came back to his world…he destroyed it. So Sora wondered why Van, of all people, was sitting there. As Sora continued his gaze at Van, he actually saw something a little different about him…though he couldn't really point out in what it was.

Van actually looked calm and (probably not showing it)… happy as well. He was just sitting there on the bent trunk of the tree, looking over at the ocean; though what he was holding in his two palms made Sora a little baffled; it was a Paopu fruit.

As Sora saw the fruit, a small smile spread across his face; just seeing the fruit, made him reminiscence a bit; remembering what the meaning of the Paopu fruit was.

"_They say if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other lives…no matter what. _

_Or in translation, if you share it with someone you care about, you'll be together forever…_

_That's usually the case if you're just thinking on the romantic side of it, but if you really think about it…just giving the fruit to the person, it may not be fully understandable, but it shows how much you really care for that person without having to share it. _

_The Paopu fruit is a symbol of caring …which I guess leans more to friendship rather than romance…but in the end, it could be either or…." _

Sora was thinking about all this in his head until he saw Vanitas get up from the tree trunk, and put on his helmet. As Van created a portal, Sora saw that he still had the fruit in his hand.

"_Mmmm...strange, where's he going?" _

Without another word, Sora followed Van into the portal and was transported to another world.

As Sora came out, he saw that it was already night-time, but nonetheless, he continued to follow Van into an unfamiliar castle. It took a while, but pretty soon he followed Van up to Ven's room. He saw that Van opened the door and went in, but Sora didn't really following him in, he just kept his distance and basically saw everything just by standing in front of the doorway.

"_So… at this point in time, Ven still hadn't recovered from Xehanort's selfish act, thus making Van being the one to take care of him…." _Sora said looking at Ven sleeping comfortably in his bed.

"_And Van?" _then Sora turned to him and saw that he left the fruit near Ventus.

Sora then smiled and chuckled a little, "_First time I actually see Vanitas acting so sweet…and…__caring._

Then Sora put his hand over his mouth, catching in what he said; the word…caring. Eventually after, he put his hand down and saw that Van walked out passing right through him.

Sora then walked over to Ven and looked at him still sound asleep. After a while, he then gave a sigh.

As Sora continued his gaze, to his surprise, he saw that Ven had finally woken up, but due to the, "incident," he still had those empty eyes.

"_Ven?" _Sora asked; but it was pointless since Ven couldn't hear or see him.

Ven got up from the bed staring blankly. Sora couldn't help, but feel sorry for him after witnessing the brutal attack Xehanort did. Ven's head then moved to his side and found the Paopu fruit resting nearby him. And just like a cute innocent child, he moved closer and had a confused expression on his blank face; wondering what it was he was looking at.

"_A star?" _Ven faintly said to himself.

Without a second thought in his mind, Ven then grabbed the fruit and held it closer to him; still fixed on its appearance.

It was silent for a bit, but then after a while, a small gentle smile sprouted across Ven's face.

_"V-Van…" _he uttered softly.

Then unexpectedly for Sora, he saw Ven then jump off the bed and ran out the door. So without really much thought, Sora followed Ven all the way to Van's room and continued to watch the scene play out.

As Ven walked over to see Van; he saw that Van was still in his bed fast asleep. Ven was a little hesitant in waking Van up, but his curiosity of the fruit got the better of him; he held the fruit close to his chest in one hand, and used his other hand to wake up Van.

"_Van? Van?" _Ven whispered, trying to wake up his other half.

It was silent, but then Ven got what he wanted, Van had awaken, but he was extremely annoyed; he slowly opened one eye.

_"What...can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" _Van said to Ven angrily, yet tiredly.

_"S-sorry...it's just..." _Ven said slightly looking down at the floor.

He then showed the fruit to Van.

_"Oh, that thing, I found it, so it's yours to eat, now leave me alone I had a very long day," _Van said.

He then closed his eye and pulled the covers over his face trying to not make eye-contact towards Ven. But with that last remark from him, Ven didn't really go anywhere; he just stood there looking at the fruit once more. After a while, he then returned his gaze towards Vanitas.

_"Would...would you like to share it with me?" _Ven asked; it was probably the longest sentence he ever managed to say.

Then Vanitas pulled the covers over and got up from the bed looking at Ven.

_"Hmph...seems like you're talking a little more, at least there's some progress going, but as for your question, no thanks, I already had one, that one's yours, keep it ," _Vanitas said now sitting on his bed.

Since it had been a long day for him, Van didn't really feel like using the rest of his energy to kick Ven out of his room. So, I guess you could say he was giving Ven a break, which he rarely does.

"_Well...t-thank you," _Ven said smiling again; it was probably the first real expression he had on his blank face in a few days.

Though Vanitas turned his head to the side, "_Yeah, whatever," _he said not really accepting the gratitude.

Then after when Vanitas thought Ven was going to leave, what Ven did caught him completely off guard; For Ven, since he represents the light, he showed his gratitude to his darker half by giving him a warm hug. Sora could tell straight away when he saw the look in Van's eyes; it looked like if he wanted to tear Ven to shreds for touching him, but… he didn't.

Vanitas then gave a sigh, and slowly raised one of his hands, patting Ven on the back.

"_It's official…I can't be with this boy anymore," _Vanitas muttered under his breath; Ventus didn't really hear Van's comment, but Sora did.

"_It seems to me that he cares for Ven…yet…why does it seem like he wants him out of his sight?" _Sora wondered.

Then to Sora's surprise, the memory he was seeing started to fade.

Eventually, it faded up until the point where another memory was coming into view.

The memory Sora was seeing now…was the day when Vanitas confronted Xehanort.

There was a table displayed showing Xehanort and Vanitas sitting at each end.

"_What is it that you want to talk about Vanitas?" _Xehanort asked the boy.

Vanitas had his helmet on his side of the table. He turned his head to the side glancing out the window, seeing Ven sitting under a tree looking blankly at the clouds. After a couple of seconds, Van returned his gaze back to Xehanort; he then took a deep breath and came clean in what was on his mind.

"_Master…I know you instructed me to take care of Ven….to keep him alive…" _Van said slightly looking down at the table.

"_Yes, go on my boy," _Xehanort said.

"_But, I guess I'll call it a warning…if I keep nurturing him like this, I'll surely lose myself and consume the faint light…Ven will die if he stays here any longer…" _Vanitas said to his Master.

"_Mmmm….I think I see your point," _Xehanort said looking at the window.

"_If you want that pathetic weakling alive, he has to be raised somewhere else, far away from me….we just can't be together." _Vanitas finished.

It was a bit silent since Xehanort was thinking it over, but after a while, he finally responded.

"_I guess you're right… it's really for the best he goes, can't really risk it can we if he stays," _he said getting up from his chair.

"_I'll go and get him then, I have a pretty good place in mind where he can live for the time being," _Xehanort said walking pass Vanitas to the door.

After Xehanort departed, Vanitas was left alone; though he returned his gaze to the window and saw his Master talking to Ven. Van didn't really know what Xehanort could be saying, but he had an idea that it wasn't good for Ven. Even though Ven was still in the process of healing, Van saw that he became sad and lowered his head.

"_It's really for the best…so you can be safe," _Vanitas said still looking at the window.

"_I see now….Van may not know this about himself, but deep down…he truly cares for his other half Ven, in a way, Ven's probably the only family he has since obviously Xehanort is using them both for his own game, and, like with me, Van chooses not to admit it and keeps it hidden by showing hatred and anger._

_Light and darkness can't live without one another..." _Sora said in his mind.

* * *

_"Are you sure he could be here?"_ Kairi asked walking with Goofy.

_"__Well, it doesn't hurt to re-trace our steps,"_ Goofy said.

Apparently everyone was on the search for Riku, but since the castle was so big, everyone divided up into little search parties to look for him. Kairi and Goofy were walking back to the room where the Gummi ship was being held. As soon as they opened the door and walked down the stairs, the two were in shock when they saw an unconscious Riku on the floor_. _

_"Riku!" _Kairi yelled running to his aid.

Goofy nonetheless followed.

Kairi kneeled down to Riku's side and gently shook him, trying to wake him up.

In an instant, Riku's eyes suddenly opened and he jumped, almost scaring Kairi and Goofy.

_"__Sora!"_ he yelled.

Riku was resting on his knees, trying to wake up after taking a blow to the head. Riku slowly put his hand to the side of his head, hoping the drowsiness would stop.

_"Riku, what happened?"_ Kairi asked worriedly.

At first, it was a total blur to him, but after some time, it finally clicked. Riku turned to Kairi_. _

_"Kairi, where is Sora?!" _he asked her determined.

_"__Why, he's in the Library,"_ she responded confused.

Then Riku got up to his feet, his expression still hadn't changed_. _

_"__Why do you ask, what's going on?" _Goofy asked also confused.

Then Riku held out his hand, and his Key-blade appeared.

_"I don't have time to explain everything, but your castle is in danger, and that person with us is not Sora," _Riku said to Kairi and Goofy.

_"__What?!" _Kairi said even more confused getting on her feet.

Kairi was really in denial, not really accepting what Riku said.

_"Come on, we have to warn the others,"_ with that said; Riku ran, determined to stop the imposter.


	14. Tears of Darkness

**"_No one will save me, I'm my own savior in this world…crying won't solve my problem…only…only power will."_**

**_-Vanitas_**

* * *

Vanitas walked down the hallway, still following the Unversed.

"_This world…will finally be at its end…" _he muttered under his breath.

As Vanitas continued to walk deeper and deeper into the hallway, there was nothing to be heard, but the soft sounds of his foot-steps. But soon enough, everything changed; after taking another step, a sharp burning pain instantly came across Vanitas' head, making him stop.

"_What!..n-not again…" _he muttered, putting his hands over his head.

The pain was so unbearable, that he collapsed to his knees and started breathing hard.

"_This…this pain…this feeling…" _he then slowly put his hand over his chest.

"_It feels awfully familiar…" _Vanitas then started to curve his fingers, gripping the shirt tightly.

After a second, in the very back of his mind, Vanitas started to see an image. The image displayed was him, along with showing his other half Ventus, to Vanitas, it was a memory. Ven was walking around exploring outside, while Vanitas was under a tree, some-what keeping an eye on him. Vanitas wasn't too bothered in seeing this memory, but…once when he saw Sora from a distance…the whole memory faded into darkness; bringing Van back into reality.

The burning pain finally stopped, but Vanitas was still frozen in the position he was in.

"_You…you conniving little-"_ Vanitas eyes suddenly turned dark yellow, and his right hand tighten into a fist.

"_That little brat is meddling in my memories," _he then finally got up, but was still extremely mad.

" _He has no right to be there and for that, he__'s going to pay!" _

With that said, Vanitas fully recovered and continued to walk, in search for the cornerstone.

* * *

"_Oh, this place again?" _Sora said, looking around the familiar sight of the Key-blade Graveyard.

"_Still, after Ven left, I get this feeling that Vanitas' missed him," _Sora said to himself.

"_And…those blue creatures…they suddenly appeared after that happened, it could be me, but it seems like those creatures are the source of Van's pain; I mean every time I saw him strike those beings down, it looked like he wanted to scream or even cry….but he holds it in…." _Sora then silently walked towards the deserted place.

He then stopped, and turned his attention up to the sky, seeing the clouds in the gloomy atmosphere.

"_He's caught in a never ending cycle of pain…." _Sora whispered to the air.

After a while of hearing nothing but the wind, Sora started to hear foot-steps, as he turned, he saw that it was Van, but as Sora looked at him; he saw that he was holding his helmet, and was staring up at the sky.

For about a minute, there was nothing but silence, though after a while, Sora saw that Vanitas finally dropped his helmet to the ground. At this point, what Sora was seeing, it truly felt unbelievable to him; tears….tears were forming in Vanitas' eyes; he was starting to….cry.

"_I can't take this anymore!" _Sora heard Vanitas scream.

Tears were slowly dripping down the sides of his cheeks. Vanitas then finally collapsed to the ground and continued to sob.

"_I can't take this anymore…." _Vanitas said again, but this time with a faint whisper.

At this point, Sora really wanted to do something, it was just so sad in seeing Vanitas at this state; feeling….defeated.

"_Vanitas…" _Sora whispered, still seeing Van lying on the ground.

Tears still continued to fall silently; though after a while, a dark shadowy figure started to appear, walking forward behind Vanitas. As the figure came into view, it was no one other than Xehanort. Seeing his face again, made Sora mad. He really hated him for literally breaking Ven's heart into pieces, and for manipulating his other half to help him, only for the sake of the _x_-blade's creation.

"_You again…" _Sora said infuriated, tightening his hand into a fist.

Just like in the first memory, Sora wanted to interfere, to do something…but since it was only a memory, the only thing he could do, was sit back and watch; which is not really the type of thing Sora would ever do, not even in the slightest.

Xehanort walked over to Vanitas and kneeled down to his level. He figured at this point, it was the right time to strike, to get Vanitas when he's at his weakest point. Xehanort then slowly put his hand over Van's back, patting him.

"_There, there….I know that you been hurting, so you don't have to hide it from me," _Xehanort said to him.

But Vanitas didn't respond, he was still blind with his own tears, he didn't want to look at his Master, so he buried his face on the ground, not really giving eye-contact. Without saying it, it was Van's way of saying, "leave me alone, you're not helping." But Xehanort continued to speak.

"_What if I told you…that there was a way to be free from this pain?" _Xehanort said, hoping the question will catch Van's attention. And within a second, Vanitas picked up his head and sharply turned to his Master. In seeing this, Xehanort gave a small smile; he knew Vanitas would take the bait, just so he can see the sight of being free.

"_You…you know a way?" _Vanitas asked, hinting a tone of desperation in his voice. At this state, he would do anything…anything to be free from the tormenting pain.

"_The key to your salvation…is the x-blade. Once you have the x-blade in your hand, you'll have enough power to break yourself free from the pain," _Xehanort said, half-smiling.

"_The x-blade…" _Vanitas whispered; his eyes trailing off to the ground.

"_No…he's tricking him…" _Sora said.

Then Vanitas picked his head up again, still sitting on his knees.

"_How do I get this…x-blade?" _Vanitas asked.

"_Simple, reunite with Ventus, then it will be created…" _Xehanort said.

Then Vanitas raised an eyebrow, " _That's it?"_

"_No, not exactly, you two have to gain a maximum amount of strength first, before you two clash together…only then will the x-blade be created," _Xehanort said; he got up, now standing.

"_Though, I'm only telling you this to help you, if you want to go through with the idea, it's your choice," _Xehanort said, holding his hand out towards Vanitas.

Just hearing this statement, Sora knew that Xehanort was lying; Xehanort doesn't really care about Vanitas like he didn't with Ven, the only thing he cares about is the _x_-blade. Sora knew Vanitas would say yes, due to his suffering, all this was part of Xehanort's plan, to ease Vanitas into it; so he could be a manipulative pawn, only without really knowing it.

Vanitas was hesitant at first, but after a few minutes of thinking, he turned his attention towards his Master again and slowly raised his hand. Vanitas eventually took Xehanort's hand, and as he did, Xehanort helped him on his feet.

"_I'll do it," _Vanitas said; his voice sounding cold.

Xehanort nonetheless smiled, knowing that everything so far was going as planned.

"_Then we shall begin your training…to get stronger," _Xehanort said.

"_Stronger…" _Vanitas repeated.

"_Yes, and just imagine, once when we get the x-blade, it will not only bring you salvation, but the other worlds as well," _Xehanort responded.

Though Vanitas made a sour face, he didn't really care about the other worlds, the only thing he cared about was escaping from the pain he had.

"_Whatever," _Vanitas responded blandly.

"_No…" _Sora whispered out to the air again.

* * *

"_Riku, slow down!" _Kairi yelled running, trying to catch up to her friend.

"_I can't slow down, we have to move!" _Riku yelled back running ahead.

As Riku, Kairi and Goofy were running down the hall, they finally made it back to the Library.

Riku was the first to kick the door open, ready to fight with the Key-blade in hand, though only to be disappointed since there was no one in the room.

"_Dammit," _he said in his mind, examining the empty room.

"_Sora's not here," _Goofy stated.

"_I don't get it, he said he was going to stay here," _Kairi said.

Then Riku turned to Kairi, "_I know it's probably hard to believe, but it's like I said earlier Kairi, that person with us is not Sora, we have to find him before it's too late." _

"_Why, what is going on Riku?" _Goofy asked.

Then Riku lowered his weapon, giving a small sigh, "_Vanitas…that's the person's name, he's a twisted being who took over Sora's body, I don't know how, but he did, and I found out that he's after the cornerstone, if we don't find him before that time…this world…your home… is history; just like ours was." _

"_No….I should have seen this coming…" _Kairi said looking down.

Then Riku turned to Kairi, "_What do you mean?" _

"_It's just that, before we were separated, I saw Sora, but, he was acting strange, he wasn't himself, it looked like if he was drained, I asked him what was bothering him, but he didn't tell me because he didn't want me to worry…and now… this happens," _Kairi really felt like beating herself up right now.

"_You shouldn't really feel bad Kairi, everyone was fooled, the only thing we can do now, is to stop Vanitas and get Sora back," _Riku said trying to comfort her.

"_Yeah Kairi, whatever the odds, we'll get Sora back and everything will be set straight," _Goofy said trying to stay positive.

"_Okay," _she said giving a small smile.

Then after a second, Riku heard Mickey's and Donald's voice. The rest of the gang was coming back from searching for him.

As Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy, came in, they were all stunned to see Riku.

"_Riku, you're alright," _Mickey said smiling.

"_Yeah, but where's Sora?" _Donald asked looking around the library.

Then that's when Riku bent down and whispered to Donald and Mickey what was going on; he didn't really want Minnie and Daisy to get heavily involved in the situation. But on the look of Mickey's and Donald's face, the girls knew more less it couldn't be good.

After Riku was done, Mickey sharply turned to Minnie with a serious face.

"_Minnie we have to go, please don't ask why, but I need you to stay here for a while," _Mickey said.

Minnie understood, and trusted Mickey with all her heart to not question him.

"_Okay," _she responded.

"_You too Daisy," _Donald said facing her.

"_Don't worry," _she said.

And then Riku turned to Kairi, but she cut him off.

"_Oh no, don't tell me to stay here too, I'm going with you guys," _she said pointing to the entrance of the door.

Riku would disagree and would want her to stay, but he knew when it comes to Sora or even him, she will be there to help her friends, so he didn't really stop her.

"_Okay, but just be careful," _he said to her.

With that said, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy headed out the library, and started to run as fast as they could to the room where the cornerstone was being held.

* * *

"_Come on, give me all you got!"_ Xehanort said to Vanitas, holding his Key-blade defensively.

"_This must be when they started training…" _Sora said still fixed on the memory.

Not really to his surprise, Sora was still in the empty world of the Key-blade Graveyard.

Vanitas was in a fighting stance, facing his Master with his Key-blade at hand. It was clear to say, that Van's eyes were filled with seriousness and determination; it was oddly similar to the look Ven would give when _he _would train with Xehanort. Without a second of hesitation, Vanitas held his Key-blade up high and started to charge at his Master, both weapons kept clashing with each other every time Vanitas attempted to hit Xehanort.

After swinging a few hits, surprisingly, Vanitas started to get tired. After another hit, Vanitas finally put down his weapon, and stopped, taking a breather. This simple act of what Vanitas just did, made Xehanort hate him, he thought Vanitas wasn't serious enough to achieve his goal and was still showing many signs of weaknesses…weaknesses that still needed to be ripped clean from his being. In the end, Xehanort thought Vanitas was still soft…just like his brother Ventus.

Since Vanitas was catching his breath, it made him a bit vulnerable, vulnerable enough for Xehanort to strike him. Catching Van completely off guard, Xehanort literally knocked Vanitas' Key-blade out of his hand, as his grip lessened, the blade vanished. Xehanort then hit Vanitas on the side of his head with full force, resulting for him to fall to the ground. Pain really struck Van hard because of this, but sadly, Xehanort was far from over.

Since Vanitas was already on the ground, Xehanort pick up his leg and kick him. Vanitas first instinct was to probably moan, or cry from the pain that was being inflicted upon him, but in a way, it felt like he couldn't. No one would really hear his cry for help, even if he asked for it; he was sadly all alone.

Sora who was watching, just shook his head in disbelief, to him, it honestly felt like if Xehanort was going to beat Vanitas to death.

"_First Ven…now Van…Xehanort really is a monster…" _Sora said.

Vanitas' whole body was engulfed with pain, after all the crucial beatings he took, if looking at the entire picture, it looked like Vanitas was officially broken…just lying on the cold ground…dead, similar to Ven.

Vanitas mouth was covered in blood, as well as having a bit of dirt on his face. The dreadful taste of dirt, mixed with blood, was truly awful in his mouth. Without another word, Xehanort then leaned close and forcefully grabbed Vanitas by the hair, pulling his head up closer to his.

"_Let this be a lesson to you boy," _Xehanort said; his voice sounding so cold and sinister.

"_You're still soft…if you don't change soon, well…you can just forget about forging the x-blade..." _Xehanort then forcefully pushed Vanitas' head down to the ground; with him un-doubtfully feeling the dreadful taste of the dirt in his bloody mouth again.

"_I swear, at times, you're just like Ven…worthless…" _Xehanort continued; though he finally let go of Van's head, and stood up walking away.

"_Worthless?" _Vanitas repeated in his mind, still lying on the ground.

Hearing that word, it honestly felt like if Xehanort just stabbed him with his Key-blade.

With that, Xehanort opened a portal and left, abandoning Vanitas.

"_So…this is why he became so cruel and cold-hearted…it was because he was mistreated by Xehanort; he pushed him to change, in order to gain more strength for the x-blade creation…" _Sora said looking at Vanitas.

As Sora walked over to him and kneeled down close, it really looked like if Vanitas wanted to cry again…just lying there…broken.

"_Vanitas…" _Sora whispered sadly.

After a second, Vanitas finally managed to get up, but only to his knees.

"_I want to cry….that's the only thing I feel like doing right now…._

_I'm all alone in this empty wasteland, and it will forever stay that way, _

_No one will save me, I'm my own savior in this world…crying won't solve my problem…only…only power will." _

Vanitas then looked up, staring at the sky, and without really noticing, a single tear rolled down the side of his face.

"_This will be the last tear I shed, no more messing around; I will get stronger, so that I can have my salvation…"_

* * *

"_So…this must be the king's royal room," _Vanitas said examining Mickey's throne.

The Unversed that he followed earlier, was now on his shoulder.

"_And you said that there's a switch?"_ he asked his creation, while looking over at the throne.

The Unversed nodded, but was telling him that the switch was under the arm of the throne. So Vanitas listened to the Unversed, and eventually found the switch. Once he activated it, the floor started to move, revealing stairs leading down another room. After the floor finished moving, Vanitas made an evil smile.

"_Good work," _he said to the Unversed.

So without another moment to spare, Vanitas walked over and took the stairs down, finding his way to another room. His eyes widen once he saw the cornerstone; it looked so beautiful…so pure…so…full of light, making Vanitas already wanting to puke.

As Vanitas finally walked closer to the cornerstone, he slowly raised his hand and touched the warmth it was giving off. After a second, he then summoned his Key-blade.

"Y_ou're finished." _

But before Vanitas could act, he heard voices coming from a distance; no doubt he knew that it was Sora's friends, at this stage, it was pointless to portray being Sora now, since he figured they already knew.

"_Stop!" _Riku yelled running in; after a couple of seconds, the rest of the gang appeared, armed and ready to fight.

"_The game is over, we know what you're after and we're not going to let you destroy this world," _Mickey said.

Vanitas made a slight chuckle and turned, "_Really, you think you can stop me, oh, this is going to be good." _

Dark aura was now surrounding Sora's body and within a second, he was now wearing an Organization XIII coat; his eyes also changed to dark yellow again.

The Unversed that was accompanying Vanitas, jumped off, readying to fight. Vanitas just looked at them and made a smirk, and with a snap of his fingers, more Unversed appeared, surrounding the gang.

"_You're not going to get away with this!" _Riku yelled.

But Vanitas still had that smirk on his face, "_Really, are you sure about that statement, because…it seems to me I already did, after all, without Sora's help, you all are just child's play for me."_

Vanitas then teleported and appeared behind Riku. Catching him by surprise, Vanitas hit Riku on the back with his foot, sending him out of the swarm of Unversed, landing on the ground. Van then jumped and landed in front of Riku and slowly raised his Key-blade at him.

"_The others will handle the Unversed, and as for you, t__ime to settle the score," _he snarled.

* * *

After the memory was over, Sora went back into the darkness. Though what he didn't know, was that when he went back, some-one was already there, waiting for him. As Sora arrived, he still felt incredibly weak, and possibly broken, the darkness was still drawing near, trying to drag him down. As he finally noticed the figure in front of him, it came towards his attention.

The figure stepped forward, revealing itself to be Vanitas.

"_So, did you have fun seeing the memories, or should I say my memories.." _Vanitas said crossing his arms looking extremely annoyed.

It was silent, but Sora finally answered, "_Y-yeah I saw the memories, I'm so sorry that happened to you Vanitas, and because of that, I want to help you..." _

"_Save it! I don't need your sympathy! You're just too good for your own good and it's sickening. Like I said before, what you remember doesn't matter, all those memories that you seen, are worthless, darkness is what I am and there is no changing that."_

After that, Vanitas took notice in how weak and empty Sora looked.

"_And l__ook at you, you're weak, you always throw yourself on the front line for the sake of others, without ever caring what happenes to you, and because of that, it will surely lead to your downfall; you're such an idiot, trying to see the good in me that's not even there!"_

Even after hearing Van's little speech, Sora still believed there was at least _some_ good in Vanitas' dark heart; he just didn't really know how to bring it out.

_"I still think there is good somewhere inside you, you just don't know_ _it_," Sora said looking at him.

But after hearing that statement, Vanitas finally lost it, "_That's it! I had enough, there is nothing good about me and I'll prove it to you..." _he said coldly.

And within a split second, catching Sora off guard, Vanitas teleported right in front of him and grabbed him by the neck. He held Sora up high, showing that his legs were dangling.

"_I'm not going to make the same mistake I did with Ven to you…I will diminish the light," _Vanitas snarled; his grip tighten harder around Sora's throat, choking him.

Even though Sora was trying to break free, he couldn't... he was incredibly weak, the only thing he could do, was watch Vanitas.

A tear started to roll down the side of his cheek. He didn't want to give up on Vanitas just after seeing what he had been through, there just has to be way to reason with him…to save him; but I guess right now, it seems like Sora is the one who needs to be saved at the moment.

"_Please….don't…." _Sora choked out, trying to gain oxygen.


	15. Shades of Gray

Vanitas looked at Sora with his soulless eyes, he had enough…he just wanted him gone. His grip tightened harder around Sora's throat; choking him.

"_Please…don't, don't do this," _Sora choked out, trying desperately to break free.

Though Vanitas continued to look at him coldly, "_I'm not going to make the same mistake I did with Ven to you…I will diminish the light," _he said in his mind.

"_**Show me anguish…"**_

* * *

It was all too quick, but Riku finally bounced back from the hit he'd received earlier. He held his Key-blade up defensively, ready to fight. Vanitas continued to look, having the same smirk on his face. Seeing this, it only infuriated Riku more.

"_I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face!" _

"_Hmph," _Vanitas then raised his weapon, "_Go ahead and try." _

Without another word, Riku then charged at full speed, about to hit his target; though Vanitas stood his ground, he wasn't the least afraid; to him, this whole fight was just an amusing game. As Riku came close and attempted to strike, Vanitas quickly ducked, making him miss, though it created an opening for Van, so he turned his hand into a fist and punched Riku right in the stomach.

As Riku felt the pain, he broke down to his knees, having one hand over his stomach. Seeing him down, Vanitas then raised his Key-blade about to strike, though as he swung, Riku sensed the attack, and with quick reflexes, raised his own Key-blade and blocked him; resulting for the two weapons to clash.

"_We got to help Riku!" _Kairi cried to the others, but they were still surrounded by the Unversed that Van had created.

Mickey, Donald and Goofy would destroy a creature, but every time when one was destroyed, another kept appearing, leaving them trapped.

"_And I thought I seen the last of these things," _Mickey said, destroying another.

"_What? You mean you know what these things are?" _Kairi questioned, looking at one of them.

"_Yeah, they're called Unversed, they're creatures based on negative emotions, my Master told me about them back when I was still in training,_" Mickey said.

Kairi then ran and eliminated another, after she did, her gaze turned towards her friend Riku. She saw that he was shooting a fire spell, but every time the fire would charge, Vanitas would just teleport in another direction, resulting for the fire to hit a wall instead.

Her grip on the Key-blade tightened, "_I have to do something."_

* * *

Emptiness….emotionless...no warmth of light to fill the void; at this moment, everything seemed like it was turning gray. Sora…was going to die, or…at least it looked that way.

Sora continued to struggle, but was still too weak to break free, though out of the struggle, he managed to choke out another sentence.

"_Tell me? Is this what you have tried to do to Ven, because to me, it seemed like he cared about you..."_

Without really knowing it, Sora's question and statement, felt like jagged knives piercing Van's body; making him angrier…making him remember the shaded memories he wishes to forget. Without another word, to Sora's surprise, Vanitas finally let go of him, resulting for Sora to collapse to the ground on his knees.

Sora ended up coughing, inhaling and exhaling, slowly regaining his ability to breathe; he thought it was over, but he was wrong. After a split second, Vanitas then raised his hand, and with full force, hit Sora on the side of his face.

The hit was so brutal, that Sora fell to the ground. Not really to Van's surprise, he saw that blood was slowly dripping down from the left side of Sora's eyebrow. Van then picked up his leg, and forcefully placed his foot on Sora's chest. Vanitas then leaned a little closer, though still having one foot on top of him.

_"Ventus? Care, for me? Don't make me laugh," _Vanitas said coldly.

_"Ventus never cared about me, hell, he didn't even want anything to do with me, let alone care. He valued his friends more and was willing to destroy me for them…" _Vanitas continued, looking down at Sora.

_"But…you cared about him," _Sora said softly, looking at Vanitas.

_"I know you'll probably say that you don't, but…those memories I saw, it showed me that you really did care for him." _Sora continued.

_"Really…your mind is made up on that, I hated Ventus, he was a weakling, a dim pathetic light that should have burned out from the start, I only took care of him, because it was an order, no goodness of me came out of it," _Vanitas said.

_"But why…why do you hate him?" _Sora asked.

_"Because I just do," _Vanitas snapped.

_"But why?" _Sora snapped back.

At this point, Vanitas really felt like breaking Sora's neck for asking these questions. It looked like if Van was going to explode at any moment.

_"BECAUSE I ENVIED HIM!" _Vanitas shouted, nearly bursting into tears.

Sora's eyes widen in shock after hearing Van's response, to him, it almost looked like if Van was going to break down again, like before.

_"He never had to deal with this pain, he never had to deal with this feeling of being alone… he had everything that I wish I had._

_He didn't remember the pain that happened to him, he didn't have to worry about being alone…he had those two friends of his…I…envied him."_

Then after a second, Vanitas ended up trailing off, sinking deeper into his mind, lost in thought…remembering that day.

* * *

_**Vanitas' Point-of-View**_

Another day, another step closer into getting this…_x-_blade. Oh how I crave its unknown power, if Master said it can break me free from this tormenting cycle, than my conscience is clear; I have to get stronger and reunite with Ven, to end my suffering.

After that "lesson" Master gave me the first day of training, I've worked extremely hard to get where I am at this point. Master said I'm improving, yet he says I'm still soft in some areas, which I think is repulsive. I don't really see it, since I'm practically killing myself to even carry out this goal. So…due to this assumption he has, I would still get a few more brutal beatings in some of my training sessions as punishment.

You would think I would be bothered by this, but honestly, I couldn't care less about anything anymore. No tears are really worth being shed since the damage of me being broken has already been done; you can't really help something that has already been broken anyways. To me, tears are insignificant…they show that you are weak and helpless…so in the end, I have buried my pain and my "tears" have already dried out.

Like I said earlier, it was another day in this pathetic wasteland; just staring out, eyeing at the never-ending field of abandoned keys. I had recently finished my training session with my Master, and as usual, I received, yet another beating for my noticeable flaws. As I was still fixed on the gloomy scenery in front of me, I couldn't help, but raise my hand, feeling…touching the nearly dry blood underneath my bottom lip. After so long, I'm already familiar with the dreadful taste of blood.

With all this happening in my life, it makes me wonder how Ven is doing. Is he suffering just as much as me? Or…is there something going on in his life that is different from mine. I…I actually hate to admit it, but…I think I miss him. He was annoying and a handful to take care of, I can't really put my finger on it, but, I guess… I was okay, having him around, despite me saying that I wanted to get rid of him.

The cold wind continued to move across my hair, as I kept thinking, "_I wonder what Ven is doing now?" _

And…it was weird, just like that; I unexpectedly started to feel something unusual inside my body. I slowly put my hand over my chest…this feeling…it; it was different from what I would usually feel. My body didn't feel pain, or loneliness, I was feeling calm, and, and happy; like if my cold heart was being surrounded by warmth. I then looked up at the sky, closing my eyes. This feeling felt wonderful, for the first time, I felt full… not empty.

After another second of taking this feeling in, I then lowered my head and opened my eyes; it was strange, I wasn't in the Key-blade Graveyard anymore, instead… I was standing in the middle of an unknown world. It felt like if I was seeing more of a vision than actually being present. The atmosphere was pretty nice and quiet, but after taking a few steps forward, a faint cheerful laugh broke the silence and made me stop.

Within a moment, I turned my head to the source and found that the laughter came from Ven. I just couldn't believe it; the last time I saw him, he couldn't even show emotions, let alone talk. Now…it's like if his heart was completely healed; laughing…smiling…and seeing him run; it's like if he doesn't even remember his own pain that Master inflicted on him. Why…why couldn't have that happened to me, I wish I didn't have to remember my pain, just going around, being happy like him.

Yet, why do I sense this warm feeling in my heart to begin with? I then turned my attention back to Ven. He ended up sitting down on a field of grass smiling, admiring the clouds.

Could…could Ven be the reason I'm feeling this way? Could I feel what he feels? Happiness…laughter…love, all these positive emotions I could never feel. Then, something popped in my head now that I was seeing him, it made me wonder, if he's healed, and has no memory of his pain, then, does that mean he doesn't…he doesn't remember me?

Without another word, I slowly made my way towards him, yet I didn't really go far, something inside me was holding me back, so I kept my distance; though the question still floated around in my head, I wanted to know. So without really thinking, I called out his name, hoping he would hear me.

"_Ven!" _I shouted, though there was no response; so I tried again, but a little louder.

"_VEN_!"

And it seemed like my second attempt worked; he slowly turned his head and faced me. This was my chance…to see if he remembers. As he looked at me, I saw in his eyes that they reflected confusion…he just kept staring, not saying a word; in seeing this, it was clear to say, he doesn't remember me. Everything that happened to him, his past, his pain, and knowing me…all those memories… were gone. At this point, it felt like I was more alone, and broken than ever, my so-called brother…has forgotten me.

After that, everything around me… suddenly turned black and white… with me feeling the cold wind once again. I didn't know what to do, without thinking, I just broke down to my knees…this…this felt like a nightmare. Then, just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, I heard another voice in the distance; a masculine voice.

"_Ven, there you are, I've been looking everywhere for you," _a young man said, walking up to Ven.

"_Weird, I thought I just saw someone…it must have been my imagination," _I heard Ven mutter.

He then turned and got up, having a big smile on his face.

"_Terra," _he said happily.

"_You ready for some more training?" _Terra asked.

I even saw that he walked up to Ven smiling, putting one hand on his shoulder.

"_You bet!" _Ven said with a wide grin, "_But where's Aqua?" _

And in that moment, that's when I saw a young woman, walking down a small set of stairs, out into the field.

"_I'm right here," _she said giving a smile.

"_Great, now that we're all here, we can get started," _Terra said.

"_Yeah, I can't wait to take you on Terra, I've been practicing on my own, so maybe this time I can beat you," _Ven said.

Though, as I was seeing this vision, I saw that the young man named Terra, just gave a small chuckle, and rubbed the top of Ven's head, messing up his hair a little.

"_No need to get competitive about it Ven, but let's see what you got," _Aqua said, throwing a cheerful laugh as well.

"_Yeah," _Terra agreed.

So…those two people are the ones who overshadowed me. By the look in Ven's face, he's truly happy and carefree with the new life he has; but…just seeing all that happiness…all that laughter…all that love…IT'S SICKEINING.

And in that moment, that wonderful feeling, quickly descended, having my heart as cold as ice again.

I then closed my eyes and opened them again; it felt like if I was torn away, and brought back into the dark depths of my reality. So without really anything to say, I slowly got up and summoned my Key-blade, holding it firmly in my grasp.

"_Ven…" _I whispered.

And then as quick as a flash, I picked up my weapon and sliced a big rock that was nearby me. The cut was so deep and sharp, the rock broke into millions of tiny pieces; I was beyond angry, that I took it out on this thing.

I was forever alone…and I will always be alone. I'll still consider going with the plan, but now…if Ven doesn't pull through, I'm going to have to find another way to make this plan work without him.

**_End of Vanitas' POV_**

* * *

Remembering this…really struck Van hard, he finally picked up his foot from Sora's chest. To Sora's surprise, as he was slowly getting up, he saw that Van just broke down to his knees, frozen, not giving an expression, nor even saying a word; he was still stuck in his trance.

Sora was still weak, and badly beaten, but he forcefully fought through the pain and made his way towards Van. He wrapped his arms around him giving him…a hug; though Van was still frozen, his expression hadn't changed.

"_I'm sorry…I'm sorry that all this happened to you…_

_You were never loved…never shown kindness…nor had friends…you were lonely and most importantly…hurting._

_And… you didn't know how to deal with it, so you would hurt others…just like how Xehanort would hurt you…_

_Please…let me help you…let me help you get a second chance…" _Sora said nearly crying over Van's shoulder.

"_I…I just don't get it…even after hurting him, he still insists to help me," _Van said in his mind.

Vanitas ended up trailing off again, remembering when he first met Sora. Just seeing him as an infant, Sora had that happy face, and wanted to be held by Van. Even after he grown, Sora still had that same cheerful smile when he met Van again at the age of four; it just showed that Sora wasn't afraid of Vanitas at all, in a weird way, unknowingly, Sora probably considered him as... a friend.

"_Hmph…he's brave, I'll admit, but…" _Van said in his mind.

Vanitas then raised his hand, and rested it against Sora's back, but as he did, he started to curve his fingers, pressing them hard against Sora's body; Van's fingers were like small daggers, ripping the jacket, and the shirt, piercing the skin, opening, yet another wound, resulting for more blood to flow out.

"_Old habits…die hard." _

More tears were falling down Sora's face after trying to take the pain; but, even when Vanitas was doing this to him, Sora still didn't let go. He thought, if Van probably took out all his pain on him and was able to survive it, it would lead to a chance that he could reason with Van.

"_Is this what it felt like? The beatings...that Xehanort did to you?_" Sora continued.

"_No…they were much worse…"_ Vanitas said.

* * *

Kairi ran and eliminated another Unversed; she was determined to help Riku and get her friend back. She was able to get out of the swarm of Unversed, but Mickey, Donald and Goofy weren't so lucky; they stayed behind, still fighting the monsters off.

As Kairi turned her attention towards the other battle, she saw that Vanitas was frozen for some odd reason, but as Riku came running, Vanitas quickly snapped out of it and kicked him. He went flying, hitting himself hard against a wall.

Seeing this battle, as Van was raising his Key-blade, it stated that he was going to give the final blow, but Kairi got tired and stepped in, breaking his concentration.

"_Hey!" _she yelled.

Vanitas then turned to her, almost wanting to laugh.

"_Oh, it's you, you aren't still mad about that little kiss earlier are you?" _Van said playing with her, since he obviously knew she would be.

Kairi didn't respond; she just kept glaring at him.

"_Oh, what can I say, specific emotions really can blind people, that is, if you know how to play the right chords though," _Vanitas continued.

"_Shut up!" _Kairi yelled.

"_I had enough of this, I don't know exactly who you are, but give Sora back his heart!" _

She then raised her Key-blade, ready to fight.

Vanitas then gave a chuckle, "_Funny...you do have __**her**__ spirit…" _he then raised his own weapon once more.

"_But I'm afraid I can't do that, Sora's heart has sank deeper into the darkness, almost no hope of ever returning; after all, I don't see why it matters since he gave in willingly." _

Then as quick as a flash, Vanitas jumped high, and charged at Kairi, intending to stab her.

"_Die!" _he said coldly.


	16. Half a Heart

**A/N: Yeah...probably the longest chapter I ever wrote (typed) so far. **

* * *

**"_There's more to a heart than just anger or hate…it's full of all kinds of feelings…._**

**"_Don't you remember...?"_**

In a split second, Vanitas remembered when he felt all those positive emotions which made him feel whole…though; it was only brief, making him angrier.

* * *

Vanitas charged and jumped, raising his Key-blade at Kairi, intending to stab her.

"_Die!" _he said coldly.

At this moment, everything seemed to go in slow motion; Kairi just stood where she was…frozen; unable to move, while Riku, who had recovered, looked at the unpleasant image that was happening. He had it in his mind that he had to do something; to act fast.

"_Kairi!" _he screamed; getting up running as fast as he could to her.

Though Kairi didn't hear Riku, no…she was still frozen in fear, making her block out the noise surrounding her.

And within the moment, everything was so quiet, that you can hear a pin drop….the only sound that was heard….was the crucial, dreadful sound of a blade piercing skin.

Blood had splattered, reflecting in Kairi's eyes.

She was beyond horrified…the one who took the hit for her…was Riku; it was all so quick that when Riku got himself in front of Kairi to protect her, the price ended up being for him to take the fall.

"_RIKU!_"

* * *

"_No…" _Sora whispered out; sensing in what Vanitas just did.

And…without further warning, Vanitas then pushed Sora to the ground, with him on top of him; Vanitas' had a firm grip on Sora's arms…pinning him down.

Van moved his head closer…eyeing at Sora with a smirk on his face.

"_So…did I make my point clear? Do you still have it in your mind that I'm good?" _Vanitas said coldly.

Though Sora didn't respond…he was just lost in words; he just continued to stare at Vanitas.

"_Or…do I have to continue on with you?" _he continued.

Vanitas then slowly raised his hand at touched Sora's cheek, and within a second, Vanitas started to dig his finger, piercing his skin; making Sora bleed once more.

"_He's still alive…." _Sora whispered out; though his statement confused Vanitas.

"_What?" _he asked.

"_You didn't kill Riku…you only wounded him….there is still a chance for you to stop while you still can…." _Sora said.

"_Stubborn brat, play times' over, I will destroy you without any further hesitation!" _

Vanitas then summoned his Key-blade, though before he could act, Sora some-how managed to escape and pushed Vanitas back, making him fall to the ground. Sora then got up facing him.

"_Fine, let's play it your way then," _Sora said, summoning his own Key-blade.

As Vanitas got up and turned his attention to Sora, he saw that he was glowing green; it was more less understood, that he was using the healing spell, though the spell wasn't perfect enough to heal some of the wounds.

Vanitas then jumped and used a fire spell, "_Fire!" _

The fire came in lightning speed, though Sora stood his ground, and dodged to the side.

"_That was close…" _he muttered under his breath; though as he picked his head up, more fire was racing towards him.

Sora stood up, and pointed his Key-blade towards the fire, "_Blizzard!" _

And within a second, a ray of ice shot out, engulfing the flames; pretty soon…there was nothing of it.

This only infuriated Vanitas more, "_I hate you, why don't you just die!" _

He then ran and swung his Key-blade at Sora…only for it to be clashed with his. Both of them were staring intensely at each other.

"_Really? Hatred…anger…and vengeance, is that all you know…" _Sora said, eying at him.

"_That's all I ever was, cursed with feeling negative emotions…" _Vanitas said.

"_But there's more than that, haven't you felt some- thing good at least once in your life!" _

"_Yeah I have, though it only made me feel emptier, that's why I intend to get the x-blade…to change all that." _

"_But at what cost, the x-blade's power won't help you Vanitas, with all that power, it could possibly destroy you, let alone save you…" _

"_Shut up! You don't know anything, I did it once before and I can do it again!" _

"_Fine then, go ahead and continue to be a tool for Xehanort, he doesn't care about you like he doesn't with your other half…" _

"_Hmph…I don't even care about my Master at all!" _

"_Well you might not care about him, but I do know that you hate being used! If you ask me, you should be getting revenge on your Master instead of Ven, make HIM suffer for what he did to you, not Ven…_

_He's the one that caused you your pain, he's the one that separated you from Ven, he's the whole reason you're like this!" _

"_SHUT UP!" _

Then Vanitas' Key-blade started to glow as he raised his weapon once more. With all his strength, he swung and smashed Sora's Key-blade; breaking it. Sora's eyes widen in horror as he saw his weapon literally shatter into pieces...like glass.

"_The…the Key-blade…" _Sora said sinking down to his knees, plainly lost in words.

The only thing that was heard, was the sound of Vanitas laughing.

"_And now, I'm going to finish the both of you off, you and your friend," _he then snapped his fingers and within a blink of an eye, darkness appeared, wrapping itself around Sora.

"_No! Please I'm begging you, don't do this!" _Sora said; though Vanitas turned his back on him.

"_Please!"_

* * *

_"RIKU!" _kairi yelled.

Blood continued to silently roll down Riku's arm; a drop or two even landed on the ground. After a second, due to the pain, Riku sank down to his knees, putting his hand over his arm, trying to endure it. He then slowly looked up at Vanitas and saw that a bit of blood was on his cheek, and that the part of the blade was also covered in blood.

After a while, Riku then felt two warm hands on his shoulders, nonetheless, he knew it was Kairi.

_"Riku, are you alright? Please talk to me," _Kairi said worriedly.

_"I'm fine," _he choked out,_ "But you, Mickey, and the others should get out of here while you still can." _

_"No, we're not leaving you like this," _Kairi darted back.

_"Awww, how touching, it's almost like you two are a couple," _Vanitas said annoyed, wiping the splattered blood away from his cheek.

_"How revolting, this childish game has gone on long enough," _Vanitas then raised his Key-blade, but before he could do anything, a beam of light came out of nowhere hitting him.

Vanitas was sent flying, hitting himself hard against the wall; though it only took him a few seconds to recover. As he picked up his head, he saw that the attack came from Mickey; this only meant that some-how they managed to defeat the Unversed.

_"You're dead rodent! _

Vanitas then ran at full speed towards Mickey. As he came close, he started to swing a few hits, but Mickey was able to dodge every single one of them. The battle between the two looked about even, but pretty soon as Mickey dodged another swing, an unexpected kick to the chest through him off. The kick was so powerful, it sent Mickey flying, knocking him out cold when he hit the walll; his Key-blade dropped as he fell.

_"Your Majesty!" _Goofy and Donald yelled.

_"That's it. I had enough of this, THUNDER!" _Donald yelled.

Thunder came flying out of Donald's staff, moving in a fast pace towards Vanitas, though Van's smirk was still planted on his face. He moved his Key-blade and deflected the spell. The thunder darted back to Donald, and as he attempted to run, the thunder hit the ground, causing a small explosion, which made Donald fly and get knocked out as well.

_"Donald!" _Goofy yelled.

Then Goofy turned back to Vanitas, though due to the smoke, he couldn't really see much of anything, but Goofy continued to hold up his shield, trying not to let his guard down. Everything was quiet, to quiet that Goofy could hear the sound of his own breathing; he kept circling, looking at every direction, every angle, trying to find Van, but to no success.

But soon enough, a vague shadow jumped out, unraveling from the smoke, coming down at Goofy. Before Goofy knew it, Vanitas it him on the head, also knocking him out cold. After a second, the smoke finally cleared once Vanitas landed on the ground.

Vanitas then turned and darted his eyes towards his last two targets.

_"This is too easy," _he muttered under his breath.

_"You monster, I won't let you hurt my friend," _Kairi said getting up.

_"No Kairi," _Riku said.

Though his words were wasted, Kairi got her Key-blade and charged at Vanitas, but since she wasn't fully skilled, Vanitas was able to disarm her pretty easily. As her Key-blade fell to the floor and vanished, Vanitas then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close to him, having his weapon close to her neck. Kairi struggled to break free, but the more she tried, the closer she felt the blade draw deeper into her skin.

_"Again, this is way too easy," _Vanitas said with a smirk.

_"You know, besides having her spirit, there's something else about you that seems familiar to me," _Vanitas said to Kairi, still holding her close to him.

Without another word, Vanitas then started to smell Kairi's hair; it only took him a second or two before he continued to speak.

_"Mmm…I see why now, it's because of your scent, you're like Sora, only…you're pure of heart; no darkness…just light, unlike him." _

Vanitas then pushed the blade harder on Kairi's neck,_ "Which means, I can devour your light if I wanted to…after all, it's so pure, I find a little hard to resist." _

Van then moved his head a little closer to Kairi; it almost looked like he was going to kiss her again, though once he heard Riku's voice, he moved his head away.

_"Leave her alone!" _he yelled.

_"Hmph...you're lucky," _he said to Kairi.

He then lowered his blade, and threw Kairi to the side. And without whether warning, he ran and powerfully kicked Riku right in the stomach again, because of this, Riku started to cough out blood.

"_No! Please I'm begging you, don't do this," _Vanitas heard Sora's voice echo in the back of his head.

Vanitas then swung his Key-blade, slicing the surface of Riku's chest. His clothes tore, as well as more blood flowing out from the wound.

_"I'm going to finish the both of you off, you and your friend,"_ Vanitas' voice echoed back to Sora.

Vanitas then grabbed Riku by the neck and forcefully pushed him back against the wall. He then held the blade close to his neck.

_"Does this seem familiar to you?_ Vanitas snarled,_ "Just like what you did to me." _

_"STOP!" _Kairi shouted running.

She even put her hands on Vanitas' shoulders to try and stop him, but it was hopeless. Vanitas did let go, resulting for Riku to slide down to the floor, but Van turned to Kairi and grabbed her arm again.

_"You should have stayed where I left you girl," _he said harshly.

With Van's other hand, he use it to knock out Kairi, just like everyone else.

"_Stop…" _Van heard Sora's voice once again; though in a faint whisper.

Vanitas was well aware of his voice, but simply ignored it, so he turned his attention back to Riku who was sitting, with his back against the wall. With all the wounds he had been given, it was hard for Riku to even move; at this point, one more hit, would surely end his life.

Van then raised his Key-blade, pointing it at Riku. Dark aura started to swirl around the blade, charging up with power. This was it…the final blow.

"_Stop..." _Sora's voice echoed, though the tone was slightly louder than the first.

The blade continued to charge up, gaining an incredible amount of dark energy, it just showed that Vanitas wasn't going to stop; he plainly ignored Sora again. Slowly…the blade rose even higher. Riku was just frozen, with all the pain, he couldn't move, even if he wanted to; he was trapped, he truly believed that this was the end.

"_Good-bye…" _Vanitas said coldly.

And just when he was about to swing to unleash the dark power, Van heard Sora's voice yet again, though his tone was even louder than the last; Sora was screaming at the top of his lungs in desperation.

"_STOOOP!" _

Out of nowhere, Van felt the familiar sharp pain in his head….making him stop. Due to this unexpected pain, he dropped his Key-blade and the dark energy disappeared as well.

"_What! Rrrgh…the pain…" _Vanitas said, starting to hold his head; trying to make the pain stop.

But…it was too much for him to endure, that Van was starting to breathe hard. In the end, his entire body was trembling. As this was happening, it left Riku a bit baffled, he didn't know what was going on at first, but then it finally clicked in his head.

"_Sora…" _Riku said in his mind.

After a second, Vanitas eventually fell to his knees, now having his hand over his chest. Within every waking moment, it seemed like the pain was slowly eating away at Van's existence; it was truly much worse, than what he had experienced back when he first gained an existence. As Riku tried to gain the ability to stand again, he saw that shock, fear, and pain were displayed in Van's eyes, or more like Sora's eyes since he still had control over his body.

"_I…I couldn't do it….I failed…." _Vanitas said to himself, still trembling.

"_Sora?" _Riku called, wondering if his friend is somewhere deep inside.

"_But why? I never had trouble in doing what I pleased before…what is holding me back?" _Vanitas said in his mind, looking at the floor.

"_It…it must be Sora….his light is so great…that…it probably balances out my darkness since we share the same body….which means, I'm limited in my actions. _

_I'm…I truly am a failure…a weakling; he has control over me some-how no matter what I do."_

* * *

After struggling for a bit, the darkness that was wrapped around Sora's body disappeared, releasing him. Sora was a bit baffled when he saw that this happened, but after a second, he eventually turned his attention to Vanitas. He saw that Van was on his knees, having his back against him.

"_Vanitas?" _Sora asked getting up.

But there was no response; Van continued to have his back facing Sora.

"_Vanitas?" _Sora asked again, without even noticing, he found himself slowly walking towards him.

After a minute, Sora was there close to him. He slowly reached his hand, attempting to touch his shoulder, though Vanitas sensed his presence and quickly turned to him, slapping his hand away; it was like if he was a wild animal ready to attack at any moment.

"_Get the hell away from me!" _Vanitas snapped at Sora.

As Sora looked at him, he saw that tears were slowly forming in his eyes. He was going to break again at any second.

"_Go ahead and just finish me off, I don't give a damn anymore…_

_I'm a weakling…I don't deserve to live any longer…._Van continued.

Sora then looked at Van's Key-blade that was on the ground, but then he turned his attention back to him.

"_Vanitas…you're not weak," _Sora said.

"_There's more to a heart than just anger or hate, it's full of all kinds of feelings…._

_You said earlier, that you felt other emotions besides the dreadful ones…._

_That alone in itself tells me that you're not weak; it shows that you have a heart and that you're no different from anyone else," _Sora continued.

"_Oh sure, because the power of the heart is your greatest weapon right?" _Vanitas said disgusted.

"_It's my friends…my friends are my power…" _Sora said.

_Hmph…those words…you truly are influenced by Ven," _Vanitas said in his mind.

"_We are all connected and aren't truly alone no matter where we are. I've become a part of their heart just as they become a part of mine, we're like family…and with a little help…you can become a part of that family too, you won't have to be alone anymore Van. _

_Just think about it, you can finally be free and happy…" _Sora said kneeling down looking at Van.

Vanitas returned his gaze at Sora for a moment thinking…though he didn't say a word; his eyes eventually trailed off to the ground while Sora then extended out his hand.

"_So…what do you say?" _Sora asked.

As soon as Vanitas saw Sora's hand near him again, his first instinct was to slap it away that he did before. But this time, something deep inside him was telling him not to repeat the same action; no…for the first time ever in his life, he was actually listening to someone other than taking orders from his Master; even though at times he wouldn't really follow them.

Van kept wondering to himself…is it right… to go against his murderous instincts and take this boy's hand; to put his trust in him, hoping he will succeed in getting him a better life? Or…should he just let all the words wash over him like if they were meaningless; to go and just drown Sora in the darkness and keep trying to have control over the body for his own. Which path was the right one to take…or to be clearer for Van, which one suited him better.

The more Vanitas thought…the more tangled up he was in his mind. He thought if he took Sora's hand and trusted him, he felt it would make his character soft which he extremely doesn't want. The last thing on his mind would be for someone to be calling him a softy or a goody goody, he just isn't like that at all since he's darkness itself, and darkness is nothing but wicked…no goodness or softness to taint its pure dark nature.

But in the end, desperation got the better of Van; he wanted freedom so badly, that he'll be willing to do anything to get it. So…without really realizing it, he found himself raising his hand and slowly taking Sora's; it just goes to show that he wanted freedom more than anything; or in this case…maybe even a family. But as Van finally took Sora's hand, he knew later on if his plan worked, Sora will probably never let Van live it down that he was trusting and good. So…in order for him to hide it and still have a sense of being dark, he had this to say to Sora.

"_Fine, but you listen and you listen good, I'm only allowing you to help me just because of what you said earlier._

_I hate being a pawn, so when I get my life back, the first thing I'm going to do is kick that old man to the curb, you got that?" _Van said looking at Sora straight in the eye.

"_Got it," _Sora said, nearly falling over.

"_Good." _

Within that moment, as the two were helping each other up, a faint light underneath them appeared. As they turned their attention to the mysterious light, another appeared and within time, another and then another.

"_What is going on?" _Sora asked.

"_Hmph…beats me…" _Vanitas said bluntly.

As the two kept staring, they noticed that the small lights before them started to grow…forming something, but what was it? Pretty soon as the lights connected, the question was answered; a circular shape was taking form underneath them and due time, it was safe to conclude that both Sora and Vanitas were standing on a platform; a blue platform to be exact.

As Sora was looking down at the platform, he felt a mysterious feeling inside his body; was his heart restored, if so, how? Sora kept wondering, but didn't really come to a clear conclusion, it must be one of those things where a miracle happens and you try not to make too much sense over it. After staring for quite a while, Sora blinked his eyes only once, and as he opened them again, pupils were revealed. It indicated that he was back to normal; not weak or dying.

"_My hearts' restored…" _Sora said in his mind; though another presence of light interrupted his thought.

As the glowing orb appeared and hovered close to Sora, he held out his hand and took it. As he did, the orb took shape…a key shape. As the shape continued to take form, the light around it started to fade away. Pretty soon, it revealed itself to be Sora's Key-blade; his weapon was reconstructed and brought back in his grasp.

"_My Key-blade…" _Sora said happily with a warm smile.

After a second, Sora then turned his attention to Vanitas.

"_Okay…I guess we can move on with the situation…" _Sora said having the Key-blade in his hand.

"_Situation?" _Vanitas raised an eyebrow.

"_Well, yeah, if I'm going to help you and the others, you kind of have to give me my body back…" _Sora said scratching the back of his head.

"_And where am I suppose to go then…I'm already a traitor as it is and there is no way in hell I'm going back, just to get another beating from that old man," _Vanitas said.

"_Well, that's an easy fix, you can stay here; with much thought… this place is more of a shelter rather than a prison. You'll be safe until the time is right," _Sora said.

"_Hmph…staying here in this nuthouse, I don't think so…" _Vanitas said crossing his arms and looking away.

"_Okaayy, but just remember, it's either this place, or a beating from Xehanort," _Sora said.

"_I think I'll take the beating…" _Vanitas said.

"_Oh come on, just stay here, it'll make things easier," _Sora said.

"_Easy for you to say," _Vanitas said in his mind.

"_Fine I'll stay and I'll give you your body back, but before you go, may I ask, how are you going to proceed with this plan?" _Vanitas said out loud.

"_Well…since you and Ven have a connection with each other…I was thinking… that if I saved Ven first somehow, along the line, you'll be brought back too, having a body of your own instead of using mine…_

_I believe this will be a good first step..." _Sora said.

"_Of course, why am I not surprised," _Vanitas said annoyed, just hearing Ven again, made him sick.

"_Well, good luck finding him," _he said back to Sora; though the statement left him confused.

"_What do you mean?" _Sora asked.

"_Well, long story short, he nearly killed himself and in order to survive, he abandoned his body. His spirit went off in searching for you in order to retain his well being…leaving his body in a comatose state. _

_I only know that much since I can sense where he is and what he feels, but I have limitations, so I don't really know where his body ended up; As far as I know, his body was probably swallowed up by the darkness that nearly destroyed us both." _Vanitas said.

"_No, I'm pretty sure his body is out there somewhere, don't worry, I'll find him. I'll restore him along with you. It just has to work," _Sora said.

Vanitas then gave a little sigh and looked at Sora, "_Hmph…so like you, you haven't changed one bit," _he said in his mind.

"_Well, I guess I better be going now, bye Van…see you soon," _Sora said with a warm smile.

Van then sharply turned away, eyeing at the ground, "_Yeah whatever, just go," _he said.

So without another word, Sora let his Key-blade vanished as he walked over to Van, giving him an unexpected hug good-bye; for some odd reason, he felt the need to do this before leaving. The hug, just made Van uneasy; obviously he hated this type of affection, again he wanted to hurt Sora, but he swallowed his pride and sucked it up; in return he hugged Sora back.

In a weird way, as Van was hugging him, it felt like if he was hugging the four year old boy he met so long ago. To him, the feeling felt sweet, yet at the same time revolting, but again he just had to let it slid since Sora was the key now to help him get the freedom he wanted.

"_Good-bye…for now…"_

* * *

"_Sora…Sora…Sora!" _a voice shouted.

Sora mumbled a few words, but as he opened his eyes, his vision slowly came into view. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was lying on the ground…but mostly importantly, he remembered that he was in Disney Castle. As his vision came back fully, he slowly picked himself up to his knees and examined his body; no cuts, no scars or bruises, he was completely unharmed and back into his usual clothes; not wearing the black coat anymore.

"_My head…" _Sora muttered putting his hand on the side of his head, trying to eliminate the drowsiness.

But as he did, a pair of arms instantly wrapped themselves around his neck; hugging him.

"_Sora, you're okay!" _Kairi cried, holding him tightly.

Apparently after the knock out, Kairi regained consciousness. Sora blinked once or twice, just staring at her a bit baffled, he honestly had no idea what was going on; though after a while, it clicked. So nonetheless, Sora gave a warm smile and embraced her.

"_I'm fine," _he said giving a faint chuckle, "_I'm just glad that you are okay, I was worried about all of you." _

"_Uh, haven't you got this backwards Sora? After all, we were worried that we lost you for a minute there," _Riku said.

After hearing the presence of Riku's voice, Sora turned and saw how badly wounded he was. Sora was just stunned, he couldn't make out the words he wanted to say, all that was playing in his mind, was the dark image of blood being splattered, and him screaming out to Van to stop; it was truly horrifying for Sora to see that his best friend was hurt, who knows, if Van did the same thing to Kairi...seeing her like Riku, Sora probably wouldn't have the ability to forgive Van, since Sora cherished Kairi so much.

"_Oh, this, come on Sora, you know me, compared to what I've been through, this is nothing," _Riku said looking at his own wounds.

"_I used the healing spell, so most of the wounds healed, and the bleeding stop, don't worry I'll be okay," _Riku said pushing out a smile; the last thing he wanted was for his friend to worry about him.

But this didn't really help, even though it wasn't Sora's fault, he couldn't help but feel guilty and take the blame for what had happened. It was like if he was the one who hurt the people he loved, even though in the very back of his mind, he knew it was Van who did it.

Sora then turned his gaze to the ground, still holding Kairi in his arms, "_I'm sorry…I'm sorry I let you all worry about me, and what I've put you through…" _Sora said.

"_No need to apologize Sora, it wasn't your fault," _Kairi said letting go, looking at him.

Though Sora's heart sank even deeper, "_Actually… I feel like it kind of was, I guess I have some explaining to do," _he said; his eyes still fixed on the ground.

"_Well, we're just glad you are alright, we have our share of explaining too in why we brought you three here," _Mickey said walking over to the gang, along with Donald and Goofy.

As everyone was talking among themselves, they were blissfully unaware that they were being watched. A mysterious black hooded person kept observing them while he was safely hidden away in the dark shadows.

"_I knew he wasn't fitted for such a task, and now he rests within the boy," _the person said disgusted.

"_Xehanort is not going to like this…" _

The person then dissolved in the darkness and teleported back to the castle. As the hooded person made his way to inform the Master of Vanitas' failure, the person found out that Xehanort was already aware; he watched the whole battle.

"_So, you knew then didn't you," _the hooded man said.

"_Yes, I did, it was pretty convincing, but I had no intention for Sora to be the last vessel…" _Xehanort said.

"_If that really was the case, then why did you make a big deal in ordering Vanitas to kidnap him?" _the man asked.

"_I thought you said he was a perfect candidate, next to his nobody Roxas," _he continued.

"_That is true, there's no mistake in that, I could make Sora my vessel if I wanted to but…there's this other vessel I always had my eye on…" _Xehanort said.

"_Oh…do tell." _

"_Yes, you see, I spent quite a while looking for this vessel, but to no prevail, so…I came up with a plan to finally get my hands on it. _

_First, I went out in searching for Vanitas, hoping he still had his own desire to have freedom; if he did, it would have been no different, he would still play as a pawn in my hand….so luckily he did. _

_So to make him do what I wished, I let him in on half of the plan, which was to bring the last vessel, in order to take the next step for the x-blade's creation. _

_That's why I told him to bring Sora, and in the end take over his body, in order for the others to have a reason to fight. Even though I didn't say it, I knew this plan wasn't going to work since I knew Sora wouldn't let Vanitas win._

_Being the good little boy he is, I figured that Sora would offer to help Van after seeing what he had been through, there by pushing Sora to find the vessel I want since he is linked to Vanitas," _Xehanort said.

"_So…all this was just to get the real vessel you wanted? But then if that's the case, what makes you so sure that the lights will fight after you achieve this goal?" _the man said.

"_Oh, that alone will take care of itself, since Sora has all that darkness inside him now, it will only be a matter of time before Van's influence will eat away at him, slowly turning him into an unstable monster; a being of the dark. This will happen one way or another, even if Van tries to be good. _

_Once when everyone finds out I was the reason for what happened to Sora, they'll be willing to fight to get revenge on me…thus the clash will begin."_

"_Mmmm…you seem pretty confident that this plan will work…" _

"_Yes, and as for you, I want you to follow them. You know Vanitas' scent and now since he rests within the boy, it'll be easier to track Sora down. Once Sora leads you to the vessel, take it and bring it here." _

"_Okay, whatever you say Master Xehanort…but before I go, mined telling me who is this vessel?" _the hooded man asked.

* * *

"_What a sad pathetic excuse for a world, makes me wonder what I saw in it the first time I came here," _Vanitas said.

He was standing near the shore of Destiny Islands.

The place did look similar to the real world, but more less, Van knew he was now resting within Sora's heart. The wind continued to blow across his hair as he was quietly gazing out, seeing the sunset.

Within a second, he then started to hear foot-steps coming his way, but then they faded out. It came towards Van's attention, so he slowly turned his back and saw that a person was standing there behind him….looking at Van.

Vanitas bit the lower part of his lip after seeing who it was.

"_Ventus…" _he whispered.


	17. Explanations

**A/N: Finally updated...I feel like these chapters are going to get longer and longer as I write (type) them. Anyways, I'm not too sure if any of you fans know this, I'm pretty sure you do, but I guess I'll say it anyways. **

**It was announced that Kingdom Hearts III is now under development. I was truly excited when I saw the teaser, now we have to wait another couple of years til its release...yeah I hate waiting lol. Well, I guess until then, enjoy this chapter and others to come. **

* * *

**"_Darkness…you gave into it once, who's to say you might give into it again…the closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes…"_**

* * *

**_Vanitas' Point of View_**

Honestly, after so long, I never thought I would see _his_ face again.

"_Ventus…" _I whispered, looking at him.

Though, as usual, he just kept staring at me with _those _eyes; it made me think, did he really change at all? But…I guess it was a stupid question since obviously his character will never change, he will always be care free and naïve…like Sora.

With him just looking at me like this, it felt really quiet and awkward; after all, the last time we saw each other…was when we were at each other's throats playing "Tug-of-war" for total control over his body. Hmph…almost feels like déjà vu now that I come around to it since the situation was the same way for Sora.

After a second, I saw that his expression changed, and that his hand quickly turned into a tight fist; seeing this…it only informed me that he still prefers his friends rather than his own brother; the Ven I knew, the one that liked me…was gone, then again…I always knew he was gone, that's way I always messed with him and talked low of his friends and his so-called friendship with them.

"_What are you doing here?!" _Ven yelled at me infuriated.

Oh, those words…how they feel like little daggers ripping away at my skin; feeling…rejected and unwelcome. Though, I knew better to not let this get to me, so like I always do, I placed a noticeable smirk on my face, almost wanting to laugh.

"_Really…isn't it obvious, Sora was the one that brought me here…telling me to stay," _I said, still giving a smirk.

It was all quiet, until Ven spoke again.

"_Why…why would he let someone like you be here?" _he asked confused.

I then gave a sigh and turned away, now facing the ocean.

"_Because he has it in his mind that I could be saved like you," _I said, still having my attention towards the ocean.

"_Mmm…okay, it does kind of sound like something Sora would say," _I heard Ven say, yet his tone was calmer.

"_But…I still don't trust you, for all I know, you being here could put Sora in some kind of danger," _Ven continued.

I then tore myself away from the ocean and looked at Ven.

"_Really Ven…still fixed on the image of me in the past. Seriously…has it ever at least once crossed your mind in why I was like this…or…the fact that maybe I have changed?" _I asked walking closer to him.

Within every step I took towards him, I swear I could feel the familiar taste of hatred and anger building up inside me again. If I hadn't put my trust into Sora along with him trusting me in return, I would have already thrust my Key-blade through Ven's body; savoring the moment where I could see the life leaving his eyes…but again…because of Sora, I cannot.

"_Well no, there was nothing to think about, you made your intentions clear, and you were willing to hurt my friends, you're nothing but darkness and like my Master taught me, it's horrible and wicked. Since you are darkness, you haven't changed and you probably never will," _Ven said.

Without another word, I then grabbed him by the hair and pulled him in close to me.

"_Funny…what you said is the exact opposite of what Sora feels, he thinks there is good in me and that I can change, honestly, I think it's pretty stupid, but he's him so I'll let that slide, but you, with the relationship we have, I thought you were the one to better understand me but…I guess I was wrong. You see me for what I am on the outside, not the inside…unlike him," _I said, trying not to let my negative emotions get the better of me.

I then let him go and he fell down on the sand.

"_After seeing the two of you, you two are the same…yet at the same time…nothing like each other," _I finished.

As I continued to look down at him, he slowly got up, sitting on the sand.

"_It's his ability to see the goodness in people that makes him special. I learned that the first time I saw him…years and years ago. Because of this ability he has, it makes it easier for him to help people and quick to trust strangers before mistrusting. _

_Hmph…if he wasn't like this, he probably would have let you die since you were a stranger back then," _I continued; facing back to the sunset.

"_Wait, you're telling me you knew him since then too…but how, I thought only I did," _Ven asked confused; I even heard him getting up from the sand.

"_Your early memories are probably tarnished, but at the time when you couldn't function, I was the one who took care of you before your….friends, so at the time, when a light saved you, I was instantly aware of Sora's presence, resulting in me to have his face. _

_Because of the connection you two shared, I was curious about him, so I went to Destiny Islands to see him for myself and after that, I met him again when he was only four._

_He was so much like you, happy, nice, and care free…though the only difference was that…even though he talked to me, a stranger at the time, I got this vibe like if I was already a friend…so your question, yes I knew him," _I said.

"_Oh…" _I heard Ven say.

I then turned to him again and saw that his head was down, staring at the sand. I wondered what he was thinking, did he feel dumb, like if I didn't know this, or, did he start to feel unexplainable guilt, after the way he yelled at me and said I wouldn't change. I wonder…

"_I'm…I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," _he finally managed to speak.

"_Whatever, I'm use to it," _I said turning away.

After a while of being in this place, I already felt like I wanted to break out and leave; to just forget about Sora's plan and run. Though, an unexpected touch on my shoulder interrupted my thoughts. As I turned my head, I saw that it was Ven's hand; he looked at me, giving an unexpectedly warm smile. Honestly, it was quite weird for me, since every time I would see that smile, it was always given towards his friends…never me; what is he thinking?

"_You're right about one thing, Sora does care for a lot people, even people he barely knows…people like me, and I guess…if he's able to see good in you, then maybe I can at least give you another chance…who knows...maybe I'm the only one who could really bring the good out of you. After all, we're like brothers…" _Ven said in a calm tone.

"_Really…I like to see you try," _I said not buying a single word he said.

Ven was starting to creep me out…I mean come on, one minute he's yelling at me, not wanting to have anything to do with me like before, and once when I talked about Sora, he apologies for his harsh outburst and is willing to help me? I don't know whether if this is a trap or something…it's just too good to be true…like…like if I'm in a dream. Being in Sora's heart, now I'm curious, is this really Ven, or simply an illusion of him.

"_So…you really took care of me before I met Terra and Aqua?" _he asked scratching the back of his head.

"_Uh yeah…" _I plainly said; I was so tangled up in my thoughts about him, that I couldn't say anything better.

After a second, I saw that another warm smile appeared on his face; it seemed like he got an idea, so then he got my hand and started to tug at it, "_Come with me…."_he said softly.

"_Huh?" _I asked confused.

"_I want to show you something…" _he said in a happy tone.

**_End of Vanitas' POV_**

* * *

**_Sora's Point of View_**

Wow, it has been quite a while since I been to Disney Castle; nothing has changed much, not that I'm complaining. After the whole Vanitas thing…I guess I'll call it that since I don't know what else to call it, the entire gang went back to the Library so we could talk about what had happened and most importantly, to discuss in why the king summoned me and my friends here.

It was nice to meet the Queen and her friend Daisy again, but I guess what we were going to talk about seemed a bit private, so I saw that the king asked her to clear the room. By the look in her face, she didn't really seem to mind so…we ended up having the whole room to ourselves.

Because of this guilt I was having, I decided I wanted to talk first before getting deeper into the conversation; I guess you could say I just wanted to get this unbearable feeling off my chest.

"_You all probably already know this but, that person who was controlling me, his name was Vanitas…" _I said.

"_Yeah we know, he told me and I told the others," _Riku said, "_But…the thing is, do you know who he is exactly…I mean the way he talked and portrayed as you, it seemed like he knew you before… do you have a connection with this guy?"_

In an instant, I was already tangled up, thinking of what to say; honestly…there was so many things that happened that I wanted to tell Riku and the others, but…something inside was holding me back; I think if I would have told them everything about me and Van…especially Van, they'll probably won't believe me, and I couldn't really blame them, since after the way Van treated them.

So…I decided for my answer to be brief; my eyes trailed off to the ground, finally regaining my voice.

"_Yeah…we know each other…and…the reason I say this was partly my fault is because….I…I…"_

I couldn't bear to say these words, I knew if I said them, Riku, Kairi and the others wouldn't believe me even if I told them it was true.

"_You what?" _I heard Kairi say.

I then lowered my head and tighten my hand into a fist; part of my hair was covering my eyes.

"_I gave into the darkness…." _I finally said, not making eye-contact.

"_I let Vanitas take over me..." _I continued.

I then looked up, and saw that everyone was stunned to hear me say those words. I knew this was to be expected, but again, I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"_So…what he said was true…." _I heard Riku utter to himself.

"_Sora…why…why did you do that, you must have known the consequences," _Kairi said walking up to me.

Yeah…just seeing the hurt in Kairi's eyes; I couldn't bear to tell everyone the real reason behind my actions. I mean come on, if I told them that I let Vanitas take over my body just to see if he could change, all of them will chew me out after seeing what Van did to them and nearly destroying this world. It just goes to show that saving Van in particular… wasn't going to be easy.

So, to add to my unusual behavior, I did the thing, that I thought I would never do…lie.

"_I was being held hostage…and if I didn't listen to the people's demands, they were going to go after you all, so I begged Van that he can take my body in exchange to not hurt you guys…but after what happened…it didn't really go the way I wanted…" _I said.

"_Wait, you were being held hostage, by who?" _Mickey asked.

"_Xehanort…he ordered Vanitas to kidnap me. He also ordered him to destroy our home and yours too in the process," _I said facing him.

"_Oh, this is bad, this is the very reason why I wanted the three of you here," _Mickey said.

"_Master Yen Sid told me that Xehanort was developing a plan, a plan to re-create the x-blade to start another war…though after this event that happened, I didn't think he would have struck so quickly…did you get any insight about his plan when you were with him Sora?" _Mickey asked.

"_Well…there wasn't much, he said something about me being the last dark vessel, that's why I was kidnapped, but then he changed his mind and said something about destroying your world…I don't remember much at the moment…everything is still kind of blur…" _I said.

"_Mmm…this is bad, Xehanort can be unpredictable at times…I wonder if you are still the target Sora…" _Mickey said.

"_Your Majesty…not to be mean, but what exactly are we here for and what is this x-blade Xehanort is after," _Kairi said.

"_Oh, sorry…let me explain, you see it goes like this, long ago there was this item called the x-blade, this x-blade is quite powerful and different from our Key-blades. What makes it different from ours is that whoever wields it can control Kingdom Hearts. _

_Legend says if seven lights and thirteen darknesses clash, the x-blade will be created and a war will happen. So the reason I brought you three here is because you three are one of the seven lights, we need to join forces once again and stop Xehanort before this war happens…" _

"_But…then who are the other lights, surely we could find them so they can help us bring down Xehanort before he completes his army…" _I said to Mickey.

"_Yeah, that wouldn't be a bad idea, at this rate, we need all the help we can get," _I heard Riku say.

"_Well…the thing is, I have no idea where the other three are, the last time I saw them, was when we thought we put an end to Xehanort…the three youths gave up their lives to protect the worlds…" _Mickey said, hinting a pinch of sadness in his voice.

Hearing this, it felt like my heart was sinking again. I guess I knew all too well of the feeling of losing someone close. I then raised my hand and slowly put it over my chest…thinking. Then…out of nowhere, that's when it hit me.

* * *

"_Well, good luck finding Ven," _Vanitas' voice echoed.

"_Long story short, he nearly killed himself and in order to survive, he abandoned his body. His spirit went off in searching for you in order to retain his well being…leaving his body in a comatose state."_

* * *

That's it, its Ven…he's one of the seven lights that the King is referring to. And if he was able to survive, then that means the other two people must have too; I know, I can feel it…they are not gone.

_"Your majesty, I believe they're not gone, I think they are trapped somewhere and are waiting for someone to help them…we need to go and find them… to help them," _I said.

_"Mmm…I do think you're right Sora, but the question is, where do we start looking? Terra Aqua and Ven could be anywhere by now," _Mickey said.

_"So those were they're names? _Riku asked.

_"Yes…" _Mickey said.

_"Well, let's see, when exactly was the last time you saw them?" _Kairi asked.

_"Yeah," _I agreed.

_"Terra, I honestly have no idea, the last time I saw Aqua and Ven is when they were both at Yen Sid's place. I remember Aqua set herself on a quest to find Terra and took Ven with her, after that, I never heard from them again." _Mickey said.

Aqua…why do I get this feeling that I heard that name before. Mmm…as far as I know, Vanitas said Ven's body was gone, but then Mickey said that Aqua took him…so there could be a chance Aqua knows where Ven's body is. This could only mean one thing; I have to find her first. That way I could find the body, and wake him up since I'm already aware that his spirit rests within my heart along with Van's.

So now the question is, where can Aqua be?

_"Maybe…maybe we should go and ask Master Yen Sid…who knows…with his power, he probably figured out where she ended up…" _I said to Mickey feeling determined.

_"Worth a shot," _Mickey said.

_"I guess I better go and prepare the Gummi ship then,"_ Donald said walking.

_"Yeah, I'll go with ya Donald,"_ Goofy said following happily.

* * *

It was quite a long travel in the Gummi ship, but we finally managed to get to Yen Sid's place, or…I guess what he calls it, "The Mysterious Tower." As we were walking inside the tower, I just kept thinking in my mind, hoping…praying that the Master knew where this Aqua character might be, I mean come on, we have to start somewhere right? And…if what I'm thinking is correct, she may hold the key to where Ven might be.

But…the funny thing is, every time I say, or even play back this girl's name, there's a ring to it…like if I heard of this person before, or maybe…even perhaps met her. It's…it's on the tip of my tongue, I think it was when…

"_Sora?" _I heard a voice.

"_Huh?" _I picked up my head.

"_I said are you ready to go in?" _Riku said to me standing by the door.

I then quickly tossed my thoughts to the side and answered, "_Huh yeah, of course," _I said showing a calm smile.

It took a minute, but the way my friends were looking at me, it seemed like they were still concerned about me; I can't really shake this feeling, but I feel like my mind is starting to wander off instantly for no reason, I really need to stop this, I don't want them to worry like they did before.

After Riku opened the door, we all went in and greeted the King's Master. As I saw him, he didn't seem quite surprised to see us, did he know that we were coming?

_Hello Master Yen Sid, it's nice to meet you again," _we all said; we even did a little bow to show a bit of respect.

"_Now now, there's no need for that," _he said waving his hand.

"_Since you all are here, I'm assuming Mickey told you about the things that are happening?" _he continued.

"_Yes," _Kairi, Riku, and I answered.

"_You see Master, the reason that we are here is that we wanted to know if you knew where a certain someone is," _Riku said stepping forward.

"_Yes, we were hoping we could gather the lights, so we could stop Xehanort before he continues forward with what he is planning," _Kairi said.

"_Is that so…well who exactly are you looking for?" _Yen Sid asked.

"_We were wondering if you knew where Aqua is," _Mickey said.

"_Do you know where she could be?" _I asked.

I as finally spoke, I saw that the Master picked up his head, and gave me a weird stare; It looked kind of strange…it's like if he thought I was someone else other than me. But, I tried not to let this get to me and overlooked it; I really wanted to know where this girl was.

"_Mmmm….it was so long ago when it happened…I nearly have forgotten about her. I'm not truly sure in where she could be, but, if I had to assume, I believe she ended up in the realm of darkness…" _he spoke.

"_The realm of darkness," _I muttered to myself.

I think I remember being in that place before…yes I remember now. Riku and I ended up there when we had nowhere else to go. We saved the worlds from being destroyed and we had a little set back…just talking; catching up on a few things. For a second, I truly believed that the place was going to be our new home, but…then the light brought us back to where we truly belonged.

But then again it's weird, if Aqua really was there, Riku and I would have seen her…or maybe the place is bigger than I thought. Is she there, and if so, how can we even get there. As far as I know from Riku's experience, only people who are currently walking the path of darkness can open portals to places, even places that are far from reach.

"_Is there a way for us to get there?" _Mickey asked.

"_Well, there are many methods, but in the long run, it can become costly, you never know what could happen," _he said.

"_People along with her are hurting…I think it's worth the risk…" _I said stepping forward feeling determined.

"_Sora, wait, we should really think this through before doing anything," _I heard Riku say grabbing my arm.

"_Think about what, there's obviously nothing to think about Riku, we have to go there and save this girl," _I burst out, moving my arm away.

This may sound strange…but I feel like her and the others are counting on me; to help them.

And, I know Riku, Kairi and the others are concerned about my safety, so then why did I act this way right now?…I looked at Riku and saw that he was a little stunned, so feeling guilt rising up again, I lowered my head.

"_I'm sorry Riku, you're right, we should really think this through first," _I said.

"_Sora, may I talk to you alone for a bit?" _I heard Yen Sid say.

So I turned to him and gave a nod, "_Uh, yeah sure." _

I'll admit I was feeling a little uneasy, what did he want to talk about? As I turned my head back, I saw that Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Kairi and Riku were walking out, though Riku gave one last look at me before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"_Now then…tell me Sora, is there anything that is troubling you you wish to discuss?" _Master Yen Sid asked.

"_Well…" _I said shrugging my shoulders.

"_You wish to find a boy that is linked to your past…Ven may I add, am I correct?" _he said.

"_Y-Yeah," _I stammered.

"_You are determined to save him, so that's why you're determined to save Aqua as well, no matter what the cost…" _he continued.

"_But it's not only because of him…every time when I think of Aqua's name, I feel like if I knew her before…the only problem is, I can't seem to remember…" _I said feeling sad.

"_Mmm…it seems to me, with all this happening, you're starting to feel pressure, having the need to help them. I'm glad you wish to help, but if this keeps going to the point where you can't control it…it will surely break you, which Xehanort no doubtfully wants…" _

"_Yes, Master I understand, I'll try to relax…" _

"_Good, and another thing, please be careful, for a minute when you walked in, I sensed a great deal of darkness surrounding your body, I didn't know if you were really yourself." _

"_It's probably because of Vanitas," _I said in my head.

"_Yes, Master I'll be careful," _I said out loud.

"_Now as for your trip to the dark realm, as I said before, there are many methods, but I'll try to see what I can do to get the one that is the most safest, in the mean time, I suggest you all, and the king should go about investigating in Xehanort's motivations." _

"_Okay, thank you Master, I guess I'll be going now." _

So with that, I headed for the door and saw myself out, but as I was leaving, I could have sworn Master Yen Sid was still giving me _that _stare; makes me wonder what he is really thinking about me.

"_So what did the Master say," _Kairi said walking up to me.

"_He said he'll find a safe way for us to be able to go to the dark realm, and in the meantime, to keep our eyes out for Xehanort," _I said to her and the rest of the gang.

"_Well I guess we better go then," _Mickey said.

So with that, we all went back to the Gummi ship and took off.

Still… as we were in space, I couldn't help but continue to think about our visit with Master Yen Sid. I mean trying to relax, it seems nearly impossible since I feel like everyone is counting on me. And…the way he looked at me, it seemed like if he didn't trust me at all. I guess Vanitas' presence is really strong to not go unnoticed, I just hope letting him stay in my heart for shelter doesn't backfire on me, or better yet, change me.

Mmmm…now that I think about it, maybe Vanitas can help me. He's a dark being who can open portals, so…maybe out of luck…he can open one that leads to the dark realm. I wonder if we could still communicate with each like before.

Man…all this thinking is really making me feel dizzy. Master Yen Sid is right, I need to try to relax…to clear my mind. I think there's a bed somewhere in this ship, it won't hurt to rest until we land.

So while telling the others where I was going to be, I left and found the room. I got on the bed and just lied there… staring at the ceiling, attempting to clear my head. I don't know why but, it seemed like my body felt heavy as well as my eye lids, I tried to keep them up, but couldn't…I guess it won't hurt to rest my eyes for a while.

**_End of Sora's POV_**

_"Please be careful, for a minute when you walked in, I sensed a great deal of darkness surrounding your body…I didn't know if you were really yourself." _Yen Sid's voiced echoed.

* * *

_"Where…where am I?" _Sora said, trying to find out where he ended up.

It felt like there was no end, as he walked aimlessly, deeper into the cold silent world of darkness.

_"__This is really giving me the creeps…" _Sora said, and within a second, he started to feel a cold chill run down his spine.

Something…or in this case, someone caught him off guard; Sora kept hearing laughter…a creepy laugh that almost sounded identical to his.

_"Who…who's there…hello?"_ Sora said, starting to feel terrified.

Sora kept walking, trying to find where the insane laughter was coming from, but as he continued, all of sudden he came across a hooded figure. The hooded figure was standing, having its back turned to Sora.

_"V-Vanitas…is that you?" _Sora questioned, though the figure didn't answer.

It was awfully quiet between the two since neither of them spoke, but after a second, a dim light started to appear, breaking the atmosphere. The light shined down below the figure, while the figure raised its head staring at the dim light.

_"Darkness….you got a brief taste of it…didn't you. You think just because your back into reality, you're free from the darkness….well your wrong. _

_You succumb to it once, there is no doubt you'll do it again…_

_After all," _then the hooded person turned and faced Sora_, "__the closer you get to the light….the greater your shadow becomes…" _

The figure then pulled the hood, revealing it to be a splitting image of Sora…though this Sora was quite pale like Vanitas, but what made him different, was the fact that his hair was darker brown, and had striking pure red eyes, similar to the color of blood.

_"What…who are you?" _Sora said stunned.

Though the figure just gave a smirk, and with a wave of his hand a long chain appeared in his grasp.

_"Mmmm…let's see, should I tell you, or should I torture you first, decisions…decisions…" _the figure said.

_"This is becoming really weird, it...it has to be a dream..it has to,"_ Sora said shaking his head.

Within a second, the chain wrapped around Sora hand, and without hesitation the figure pulled him, knocking Sora down to the floor.

_"Let me answer your question with a question…which person do you think I am…you or Vanitas..?" _the figure said.

Sora just lied there on the ground frozen, staring at the person's devilish eyes.

* * *

Sora immediately opened his eyes, and jumped up from the bed; panting...

He quickly put his hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly...

* * *

_"All the ones the you hold dear...will soon meet their end..." _


	18. Friendship

**"_All the ones you hold dear…will soon meet their end…" _**

* * *

Screaming…it was only unbearable sound that could be heard; as horrifying as it was..someone was being tortured. Everything was growing darker…darker than even darkness itself. Can it even be possible for something to be darker than black?

And yet, after a long pause of silence, another scream broke out into the air. Though, just when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse. A harsh sound of clothing being ripped to shreds, added to the unpleasantness of the screams. After another second, the screams finally stopped; once again hearing the cold bitterness of silence.

Still…without another word, the dim light that appeared previously, kept it's faint glow over the two figures. One was standing, while the other was on his knees with his head down; the boy's hands were being pulled up and bind together with a chain. To add to this horrible image, the boy's clothes were brutally ripped to the core, showing that he was partly naked, as well as more chains being forcefully wrapped around his bruised…weak body.

And… what makes matters even worse…this boy was Sora!

The figure continued to look down at him with his cruel devilish red eyes. He was smiling…admiring the hurt and suffering he did to the poor boy.

"_Hmph…you're nothing more than a worthless shell…" _the figure said with a twisted smile.

But Sora kept his head down, not saying a word. Being in this position, he convinced himself that he was in another nightmare. It was a while, but Sora remembered the previous nightmare vividly, and after comparing the events to this one he was in, he felt that this one was excruciatingly worse.

"_Who…who is this guy?" _Sora wondered to himself.

"_He…he almost seems inhuman…" _

Then Sora immediately felt a hand pick up his head. The figure was now looking at him; both of them looking at each other face to face.

"_That face…oh, that precious little face everyone seems to love. You're very kind and optimistic, but in the long run, very naïve. I'm nothing like you at all," _the figure said smirking.

And without any further warning, the figure raised his hand and slapped Sora on the side his face. Sora did nothing, but continued to have his head down like he had it before, though now, the only difference was…tears were silently rolling down his cheeks and on to the ground.

"_If you're nothing like me, then what are you?" _Sora said in a low voice, not making eye-contact.

The figure then gave a little sigh, "_Again with that question huh, well, I guess I can tell you now since I had a bit of fun…" _he said playing with his hands.

"_Let's see…to put it in simpler terms…I'm your shadow," _he said waving his hand.

"_My…shadow?" _Sora asked confused, moving his head up a little.

Though the figure didn't take him seriously, he just laughed at Sora's confusion.

"_Yes, your shadow…or maybe I should say, I represent what you would be if you gave yourself over to the darkness…" _the figure said.

"_I…I would never give into the darkness…" _Sora choked out.

"_Yeah, keep telling yourself that, you're obviously lying to yourself, since like I said before, you got a brief taste of it. And once when you get a taste, pretty soon in time, you'll be craving for more…succumbing to the darkness again…_

_You'll turn into your own shadow. You'll turn into me…" _the figure said.

"_No…no…I'm not listening," _Sora said; his voice rising higher.

"_Hmph, afraid to see the truth I see. _

_Sora, your heart is very unstable; noticeably unbalanced, you give yourself over to the light, but with one hit, you can easily be knocked over, finding yourself drowning in the dark; you may not know it now, but darkness will be the end of you. _

_You'll lose yourself forever, and your friends will pay the price for it…__" _the figure said.

"_No…No...No!" _Sora said, trying to break free from the chains; but he couldn't.

Then Sora started to hear the creepy laughter again, so he looked up and saw that the figure was the one doing it. But…as he was laughing, to Sora surprise, the figure started to change. Dark aura was swirling around the figure's body, engulfing him. As Sora kept staring, the figure then tilted his head to the side, giving a creepy smile, showing his teeth; they were sharp and pointy, almost like fangs.

In the end, his whole appearance changed, the figure was dark and shadowy; he looked like he blended pretty well with the darkness around them. Though, instead of having red eyes, they were circular glowing orbs…resembling a Heartless.

Pretty soon after that, he disappeared, leaving Sora alone in the dark. After another second, the chains that were binding him, soon disintegrated, leaving no trace…finally setting Sora free; though he was still hurt and incredibly weak.

As Sora was trying to find the strength to stand, he noticed that the environment around him started to change. Within time, he found that his existence was swept away into another world…or in this case…maybe into another illusion.

* * *

Wind picked up heavily, moving against Sora's fragile body; with all the bruises and pain he had, the wind was no help, since it felt like a cold blade piercing through him.

"_No…I'm getting really tired of this place…" _Sora choked out.

He knew all too well about the place he was in…. it was The Key-blade Graveyard.

"_All the ones you hold dear…will soon meet their end…" _Sora heard the figure's voice echo.

Though, Sora didn't want to hear him, he just shut his eyes and covered his ears, trying to drown out the voice. But, pretty soon…a couple of screams made him open his eyes.

The voices were calling out his name.

"_Sora!" _

"_Sora!" _

As Sora heard their calls, he was able to identify who they belonged to.

"_Riku! Kairi!" _Sora screamed out.

Then out of nowhere, he started to hear the sound of the creepy laughter again. But Sora tried to ignore it, and continued to call out to his friends again…hoping they would appear.

"_Riku! Kairi!" _he screamed once more.

"_Sora please! Don't do this! Stop!" _Kairi's voice rang in his ears.

Hearing this, started to make Sora uneasy, he wondered what was going on, then after a second, three figures appeared from a far, in front of him. As Sora paid more attention to the figures, he was in shock when he saw that they were his friends Riku and Kairi…but most importantly, it was more nerve wrecking when he saw another version of himself with them.

"_Sora, please stop, we're your friends, don't you remember?" _Sora heard Riku say to his other self.

"_Save it, I'm not dumb, of course I know the two of you," _Sora said harshly to Riku.

"_It's just that…I already outgrew the need for friends like you two..." _he continued; raising his Kingdom key at them.

"_No…this can't be real, I would never say that to them," _the real Sora said; slowly sinking down to his knees.

"_I'm done with you all, I have found something even better than friendship, and…as long as you two are alive…I feel like you'll be holding me back so…" _

Then the dark Sora jumped and did the unthinkable…with his Key-blade, he stabbed one of his friends; having no sympathy or regret.

"_Die…" _he said coldly, pushing the blade deeper into Kairi's chest.

Blood splattered everywhere; it was truly horrifying to see. Without another word, the real Sora wanted to do something, he pulled himself up from the ground and attempted to run over to aid his friends, but sadly, due to being bind and tortured, his muscles were weak as well as his body to do anything. He tried pushing his body forward, but it was no good; it caused him more pain than ever.

So without a doubt, he dejectedly collapsed to his knees again; feeling helpless once more. Though, he was screaming at the top of lungs, wanting the nightmare to end.

But sadly, it was far from over, as Sora lowered his eyes to the ground, he started to see a pool of blood; it was flowing freely like water. Without really watching, Sora knew what had happened, his other self eventually pulled the blade out, resulting for Kairi's lifeless body to fall, lying on the ground.

"_Kairi…." _Sora whispered.

He was starting to feel choked up inside.

Then…another stab was heard, Sora quickly looked up and saw that his other self then went in for Riku…his other close friend. At this rate, it seemed like for Sora, time stand still. More blood was shed, reflecting in his watery blue eyes. Within time, Riku was no more, and fell along side with Kairi. After this, Sora was truly broken…staring at his friends with no words to say; witnessing their tragic ends.

"_You…you did this…" _Sora whispered to his darker self.

Though, he couldn't hear him, within time, darkness was slowly devouring the world.

"_No…..I did this…" _Sora continued; paying no attention to the darkness enclosing on him.

Then all of sudden, the Kingdom key appeared in Sora's hand. Without really much to say, he just kept staring at the weapon, seeing the dried blood that was left on it.

"_What have I done?!" _

The darkness eventually swallowed up the world, leaving Sora alone in the dark again. With the Key-blade already in hand, Sora gripped it tighter.

"_Maybe…maybe the darkness has finally got to me…"_

Without another word, darkness started to wrapped itself around Sora..slowly devouring him.

* * *

Sora immediately opened his eyes, and jumped up from the bed; panting…

He then quickly put his hand over his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly…

It was still quiet as Sora was trying to steady his breathing.

"_What a nightmare…it was worse than the one Vanitas put me through…" _Sora said in his mind; still having his hand over his chest.

Pretty soon, his heart was now beating a steady pace, leaving Sora to be a bit calmer, though he continued to wipe some of the tears away from his face that he had. As he was doing this, he unexpectedly heard a knock from the door, within a second, the door opened, revealing it to be Riku.

"_Sora?" _Riku said looking at him.

Sora wiped away the remaining tears and looked at his friend. After waking up from a nightmare, especially after seeing his two best friends in the world…die; Sora couldn't help but smile with happiness; knowing Riku and everyone else is okay; relieving himself that what he had seen was only a dream.

"_Riku!" _Sora said happily.

Then without hesitation, Sora jumped off of the bed, running, giving Riku an unexpected hug.

"_I'm so glad you are okay," _Sora burst out, hugging his friend tightly.

Though, on the look in Riku's face, he was extremely baffled; what was Sora talking about?

"_Uh…I'm confused, what's going on Sora?" _Riku said; still having the same expression on his face.

"_Oh…well…" _

Sora didn't really know how to put it into words, after all, the nightmare was truly horrifying, but after a second of thinking, he figured it was best to talk about it to his friend, rather than keeping it a secret. Who knows, to Sora's knowledge, maybe he had the nightmare because he wasn't being truthful of what had happened to him when Vanitas took over. Was that the reason, or was the nightmare foreshadowing an event that was going to happen in the near future.

No, Sora didn't even want to swallow the thought of that idea; the last thing on his mind that he would want is for his friends to be in danger, especially if he's going to be the culprit for their tragic fates.

Sora then finally let go of Riku, but his eyes were still focused on the floor.

"_Riku…can I talk to you for a minute or two? _Sora said; pushing back his thoughts.

"_Sure, after all, what are friends for, right?" _Riku said giving his usual smile.

"_Yeah…"_

"_So, what is it that you want to talk about?" _Riku said walking over; sitting on the edge of the bed.

"_Oh boy, where to begin…" _Sora muttered to himself, rubbing the side of his neck.

He eventually walked over to Riku and sat on the edge beside him.

"_I…I haven't really been honest with you and Kairi lately, I been keeping a couple of things to myself…but as of now, I can't really keep them inside anymore," _Sora said looking down at his hands.

"_Well…what is it?" _Riku continued to look at his friend.

"_I'm not really sure in how to explain it actually, but…I feel like the darkness inside me is trying to invade my mind, and considering in what you went through, you must know how this feels right?" _Sora said turning to Riku.

"_Yeah…it always tries to lurk its way inside, you can never let your guard down, if you do, you'll easily lose yourself; it's like a never ending battle," _Riku said.

"_But, the only reason why I had to fight…was because I was harboring Xehanort's heartless inside my heart. He always tried to be superior…wanting to take over my body. And…even when I did have him under control at times, I was still able to use his dark powers…resulting for me to become him. _

_Though I don't think I have to go into more detail, I mean, I told you this before, remember when I told you about Roxas…" _Riku said.

"_Yeah, I remember." _Sora said; remembering briefly when the trio was at The World That Never Was.

"_But wait, I don't get it, how can the darkness be giving you trouble, you're free, ever since you defeated that Vanitas guy who was controlling you," _Riku continued.

That's when Sora bit his bottom lip; he had to say it, even though Riku was going to hate him for it.

"_I didn't defeat Vanitas…" _Sora said in a low voice, he then picked up his hand and put it over his chest, "_Like you did, I'm carrying Van's heart inside me." _

After Sora finished his statement, everything was surprisingly quiet; Sora was just waiting…waiting for Riku to burst out yelling in anger; scolding him for what he did wrong, kind of like how a big brother would do to his younger sibling.

"_No…tell me this is a sick joke Sora," _Riku said; his voice still calm, though noticeably getting higher.

"_I'm sorry, but it's the truth," _Sora said looking at Riku.

After hearing Sora's response, Riku was just lost in words; he never _ever_ thought Sora would do something like this; In Riku's perspective, it almost looked like if Sora was slowly following the same dark path he did, before he found the one that suited his personality.

In an instant, images of Vanitas hurting Riku, Kairi, and the others played back in Riku's mind. Just seeing his soulless eyes…that smirk he always had, and even hearing his cruel laugh while seeing blood being shed; honestly, how can this pure being of darkness even have a heart to begin with? Riku thought it must have been a cruel joke since he clearly believes that Van has no heart and could be capable of doing unspeakable things.

Riku then tighten his fists and got up from the bed, "_Are you kidding me! How can you do that Sora, you seen what that guy can do, he clearly has no heart!" _

As Riku was yelling at his friend, Sora just sat on the bed, having his eyes closed; hearing…taking in Riku's words; after all, Sora knew it was to be expected anyways.

"_I'm sorry for advance if this hurts you," _Sora said in his mind.

"_No heart, really, I could have said the same thing to you when you left me…your best friend, but I didn't because I still had hope," _Sora said out loud; opening his eyes, looking at Riku.

Riku was a bit baffled at first, he didn't really know what was going on in Sora's head, but for Sora himself, it was obvious that he was trying to defend Vanitas.

"_What?" _Riku asked.

"_It was that time when we were both trying to save Kairi; remember…you attempted to kill me before you even became possessed and to boot, you made me feel like garbage…."_

* * *

_**Flash Back**_

"_STOP_!" Sora yelled running.

As he approached the person, it was no surprise that Sora met up with his friend Riku. Though, is the word _friend_ even appropriate to say now, since after the events that happened between the two? It really is questionable, are they still friends, or has their friendship ceased to exist.

"_So, you finally made it, about time. I've been waiting for you," _Riku said coldly to Sora.

"_We've always been rivals, haven't we?" _Riku continued; looking down at his former friend.

"_You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you." _

After everything Sora and Riku had been through when they were younger, Sora found it extremely hard to believe the words that were coming out of his friend's mouth. Was this it…has their friendship truly crumbled, leaving Sora only to have false hope of getting his friend back? No…it was a nightmare…it just couldn't be true.

"_Riku…" _Sora said sadly.

"_But it all ends here. There can't be two Key-blade masters." _

Though Sora was baffled, "_What are you talking about?" _

Then Riku raised his hand, "_Let the Key-blade choose its true master." _

Then to Sora's surprise, the Key-blade that he had in his hand was starting to be pulled away from his grasp; he tried not to let go…but it was no use; it disappeared and reappeared in Riku's hand. Sora was shocked; he lost the Key-blade.

"_Maleficent was right, you don't have what it takes to save Kairi," _he said seeing the blade in his hand.

"_It's up to me. Only the Key-blade master can open the secret door…and change the world." _

Though Sora shook his head in disbelief, "_But that's impossible. How did this happen? _

_I'm the one who fought my way here with the Key-blade!" _he yelled.

Then Riku just made a cold smirk, "_You were just the delivery boy." _

At this very moment, everything seemed like it came crashing down on Sora. Everything that he knew, everything that he done to even get to this point…was wasted. He didn't know what to do, it was like if Riku broke him; he broke his spirit, making him fall on his knees feeling…defeated.

"_Sorry, your part's over now," _Riku continued.

"_Here, go play hero with this," _he said bringing Sora down even lower.

Riku then threw a plain wooden sword over to Sora, who was still on his knees. What a best friend….Sora must have thought sarcastically in his head; as of now, it was clear to say that their friendship…was over. Riku just left him; how could he do such a thing?

Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, Sora's other friends abandon him too, for the sake of the king's orders.

"_Sora, sorry." _Donald said sadly.

Donald and Goofy walked away, leaving Sora alone in this world known as Hollow Bastion.

"_No...I'm not giving up now, I came here to find someone every important to me," _Sora said determined; readying to face the dangers that are waiting for him.

Along the way, even after the way Riku treated Sora, he still had a small glimmer of hope that Riku would come to his senses and come back being Sora's friend again, but until then, he was fully focused on Kairi more than ever.

_**End of Flash Back**_

* * *

"_Okay, I'll admit that that was harsh, but come on, I was being dumb back then, you're still mad about that?" _Riku asked.

"_No, I'm not mad, you know I get over things pretty quickly," _Sora said half-smiling.

"_So then why did you bring it up then," _Riku raised an eyebrow.

"_Because I was trying to get my point across that Vanitas isn't so different from you. You made some mistakes in the past, and well, look at you now. And for Vanitas, it kind of goes about the same way, he made mistakes in his own past, and well…I thought with a little work, I can help him walk a different path," _Sora exclaimed.

"_Mmm…you really want to help this guy don't you?" _Riku said.

"_Yeah, I guess it's because I've seen what he had been through in the past, and…well you know me, I always want to help people," _Sora said smiling.

"_Mmm, Sora must have seen his past when Vanitas was controlling his body, and judging by what Sora said about already knowing him, they probably met some time in the past," _Riku thought in his mind.

Sora then let out a little chuckled, "_And…in a weird way, he kind of reminds me of you at times."_

"_Really…"_ Riku said not really buying it.

"_Well…I'm still not comfortable with this idea, but it seems to me that you have some **special** connection with this Vanitas guy I wouldn't really understand. _

_So…I hope things turn out okay, though…just remember Sora, don't lose sight of yourself. Don't let the darkness inside you grow, and keep fighting." _Riku said putting his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"_I will," _Sora said.

Then Riku started to trail off on a slightly different subject.

"_Yeah, I remember it was like that for me too, I would have nightmares or illusions about losing you and Kairi, but within time, I learned how to control it and not let the darkness trick me anymore…is that what happened to you just now when I came in?" _Riku asked.

"_Yeah," _Sora said, remembering the nightmare. "_But, I think I'm okay now."_

"_Good, well I guess I'll go and tell Kairi you're okay, she told me to check up on you," _Riku said walking out the door.

"_Okay, oh and Riku, please don't tell Kairi about this, I don't want her to be more worried about me than she already is," _Sora said.

"_Don't worry, I won't," _Riku then closed the door and put his back against it.

After talking to his best friend, he didn't know what to think.

"_I should have seen this coming after what Vanitas said to me..." _Riku said in his mind.

_"Your friend had willingly given into the darkness._

_Things don't stay pure forever," _Vanitas' voice echoed inside Riku's head.

"_I think Sora is in more danger than he realizes…this is bad, what should I do?" _Riku wondered to himself.

* * *

"_Mmmm….by the look in Riku's face, he doesn't seem to trust Vanitas at all," _Sora said, looking out at the window.

"_Well…I'm still not comfortable with this idea, but it seems to me that you have some **special** connection with this Vanitas guy I wouldn't really understand," _Riku's voice echoed inside Sora's head.

"_Special..." _Sora whispered.

"_Maybe...considering him as...a friend..?_

_Making myself closer to the darkness?"_

Sora kept thinking about all this, but eventually, it all led up to thinking about the recent nightmare that he had.

"_I think I put my friends in more danger than I realized…I mean…what if the nightmare really is a foreshadowing of the future. _

_This is bad, what should I do?" _Sora wondered to himself.

It was still quiet as Sora kept staring out at the window.

"_I wonder though…" _he said in his mind.

Sora then closed his eyes and lowered his head a little.

"_Vanitas…._

_Can you hear me…." _


	19. Sky, Wind, and Emptiness

**_"The sky is slowly turning gray…._**

**_Hazy memories call out like faint whispers to the wind…_**

**_And emptiness, meant to show no signs of good, may it finally become whole, or filled? "_**

* * *

Everything felt like a beautiful dream, the sun was setting, the wind was giving a fresh cool breeze, and along with this, calm waves were forming steadily over the ocean, accompanied by the presence of seagulls, flying freely in the sky.

"_Seriously Ven, where are you dragging me to? _Vanitas asked; not feeling comfortable one bit.

Despite Van's negativity, Ven still had the same innocent smile on his face. He had one of his hands grip tightly around Van's hand; even if Van didn't like where this was going, and at times tried to pull away, Ven would nonetheless tug, and tell him to keep following, leaving Van no other choice but to give in.

Ven quickly turned, facing his other half, "_Don't worry, you'll see," _he said walking; still having his unique smile.

The two boys continued to walk on the bridge and eventually found their way to the bent palm tree. Once when they were there, Ven loosened his grip on Van's hand and walk over; finding himself sitting on the bent tree.

"_Hmph, this area again, what's so special about it?" _Vanitas wondered in the back of his mind.

As Vanitas continued to look at Ven, Ven gave a slight confused face, "_Well, aren't you going to sit down with me?" _he said patting on empty spot next to him.

Again, Van wasn't too comfortable; even if he had better control over his actions, being too close to Ven…made him feel nostagic about the past; wanting to hurt Ven again.

After all, it was that same feeling which caused the two to be raised separately. Though, in a way, it makes you wonder if you really think about it, if this case between Vanitas hurting Ventus was handle better, what could have their relationship been if they were still raised together?

The two walking side-by-side instead of walking opposite directions. What would have happened? But...to Vanitas, it was probably only one-sided. The two could never have been raised together since the feeling would always be there inside him.

In the end, just seeing Ven again for so long, he vividly remembered thinking about wanting to stab Ven with his Key-blade, and even remembered grabbing Ven's hair when Van showed a hint of anger earlier; And that was only a hint, imagine if Van was even angrier, Ven would have probably been dead.

So because of the feeling, Van wasn't going to sit down, but he knew if he didn't, Ven will continue to "bug" him until he does. So Vanitas gave a small sigh, walked over and sat down close to Ven; both of them now sitting on the bent tree.

"_Well…what was it that you wanted to show me?" _Vanitas asked again; getting extremely impatient.

Ven let out a small chuckle and pointed at the sunset, _"I wanted to show you that," _he said still giving a smile.

"_Really…a sunset?" _Vanitas said, hinting a bit of boredom in his tone.

He even rested his head on one of his hands, continuing to stare at the sight uninterested.

Ven then made a sour face, "_You're missing the point Vanitas, don't just say, really…a sunset," _he said looking at him.

"_What, what do you want me to say?!" _Vanitas turned to him annoyed.

"_Just…give it another look," _Ven responded back.

Van then rolled his eyes and turned away, looking at the sunset again. He didn't really get what Ven's point was, to him, he already saw the sunset, what's so great about it?

"_Just…let loose and clear your mind…maybe that will help," _Van heard Ven's voice again.

So, Vanitas surprisingly did what he was told; he took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling…slowly clearing his mind. It seemed at this point, Vanitas was reverting back to the person he use to be before; before the beatings, before the Unversed, before the pain…everything was briefly tossed aside, making Van surprisingly calmer and more at ease.

He then closed his eyes, and let the environment around him sink in; he could feel the cool breeze blowing against his hair, and hear the beautiful soothing sound of the ocean waves. One word for all this that came to mind…was peaceful. After hearing the presence of the seagulls once more, Vanitas then slowly opened his eyes, and took another look at the sunset in from of him.

The sunset before him was absolutely beautiful; probably even breath taking to say the least. The colors yellow, orange and red, were so rich and soothing. The sunset was so beautiful, that you could probably gaze at it for a long time until it turns to night. After everything Vanitas heard, the sunset was like the icing on the cake to complete this wonderful world…no… this wonderful dream that he was in.

Then unexpectedly, Vanitas started to feel his heart being bathed in warmth again; honestly, he hasn't felt this wonderful feeling in years. Years that made him literally forget that he could feel positive emotions. Vanitas then put his hand over his chest, and gave a small smile…though, he kind of made sure Ven didn't catch him doing it, or else if Ven did, then Van probably would have punch him in the face or something.

Vanitas then turned to Ven, "_Now I get what you wanted me to see…it's the beauty of it, isn't it?"_

Though after saying the word, "beauty," Vanitas felt like he threw up a little in his mouth; being the dark half does have its disadvantages of appreciating the beautiful things in life.

Ven then turned to Vanitas, "_Yeah, it is when you're sitting in this spot," _he said cheery, "_I thought it would have been nice to share this with you, I mean, you been in the dark for so long, that I figured seeing something good might help you feel positive," _he continued.

"_So…this feeling was a gift from him? Well…I guess he succeeded on that part, since I haven't felt this way in a long time," _Vanitas said in mind.

"_Hmph, but I doubt he could keep it this way for long," _he continued with his thoughts, giving a slight smirk.

And yet, after a while of looking at the sunset, to Vanitas, it almost felt like déjà vu again. A faint memory of him showing Ven the stars in the night sky came back to Van. He knew at that time, Ven was broken and thought showing something calming and _beautiful_ would make him happy and more at ease. Vanitas was helping Ven, and well now, it seemed like the tables finally turned, since Ven was doing a similar thing; though instead, it was showing the sunset, not the stars.

But then Vanitas wondered; Ven always loved admiring the stars, so why did he suddenly change into admiring the sunset instead? So to keep up with a conversation, Vanitas was going to ask this very question, but before he could, Ven spoke.

"_Yeah, the sunset really is beautiful, I probably would have never paid attention to it if the others didn't show me," _Ven said.

"_Others?" _Vanitas asked feeling surprised, raising an eyebrow.

"_Yeah, besides me and you Vanitas, there are two others who exist here as well," _Ven said looking at Van.

"_Really…" _Vanitas said.

"_Man, what's up with this Sora kid, I swear, he's like a walking hotel," _Vanitas said in his mind.

"_Who are they?" _he continued out loud.

"_I don't really see them as much, but, I do believe that their names are Roxas and Xion," _Ven said putting his hands together.

"_To tell you the truth Vanitas, when I first came here, there wasn't really much of anything, I had a home, but I felt like my existence still lingered in the dark, portraying myself to be unheard of. _

_Then…then Roxas and Xion came in and well…everything started to change after that. We all wanted a place of Sanctuary until the time was right for us to be free…so because of our desire, this world was created…created from Sora's memories." _Ven continued.

"_I see," _Vanitas said; his eyes trailing off to the sandy ground.

"_No wonder I feel like this place is a dream...it's because this place is created from memory. _

_I guess I shouldn't really be surprised, after all, memories and dreams have a certain link to one another, since they both exist in the mind…or…in this case…the heart," _Vanitas said in his mind.

"_So, they were the ones who showed you the sunset then…" _Vanitas said making sure.

Ven did nothing, but nod his head yes.

"_So then where are they?" _Vanitas asked.

"_Don't worry they're here, though not sure where exactly. If I had to guess, they're probably at that cave Sora and his friends hang out in," _Ven said turning, pointing back at the island.

As Vanitas was seeing Ven, he could tell right off the bat that Ven was showing signs of sadness. Van's first instinct was probably to ask what was wrong, but he nonetheless let it fly over his head; showing no signs of caring, even though way…way deep down, he did.

Ven let out a small sigh, and turned back, facing the ocean, "_Yeah, the two are very close…friends actually. Kind of reminds me of my own friends," _he then let out another sigh,_ "I really miss them…makes me wonder what they are doing right now." _

As the wind was still blowing, Ven then turned his attention towards his pocket and pulled out what was inside. What Ven had, was nothing other than a green star-shaped charm; or what his friends called them, Wayfinders. Ven had the charm gripped tightly in his hands; gazing at it. Eventually, he then closed his eyes.

"_Terra…_

_Aqua…." _he whispered.

Just thinking about all the precious moments the three shared together, made Ven's heart ache in more sadness; he deeply missed them. Without really knowing it, Ven had the charm close to his chest, and a single tear started to escape from one of his eyes. The tear silently rolled down his cheek, while his head was slightly down; his blonde hair covering part of his face. Within time, it was seen in Vanitas' eyes that his other half was crying; more tears were unraveling, falling freely downward.

In reality, it was one of Van's dreams to see Ventus cry. But…only if it was Vanitas himself who causes it; Vanitas always pictured Ven suffering…hurting and begging on his knees for mercy towards Vanitas. Though seeing this…Vanitas admit it was refreshing to see Ven crying, since he hated Terra and Aqua with a burning passion, but… deep down he couldn't help but feel…bad? Well, that's the first for him.

Without another word, Vanitas then put a hand on Ven's shoulder. When he did, Ven picked up his head and looked at Van.

"_Huh?" _

Vanitas then raised his hand and wiped a tear away from Ven's face, "_Don't do that, it doesn't suit your cheery personality," _he said sounding monotone.

"_I only like it when you cry if I cause it," _Vanitas said his mind.

"_S-sorry, I guess I couldn't help myself," _Ven said wiping away the rest of the tears himself.

"_I know you miss them, but if you ask me, there really isn't anything to worry about with Sora on the job, I'm pretty sure you'll see them soon," _Vanitas said turning back at the sunset.

"_Yeah," _Ven said in agreement, "_We'll always be together," _he said looking back at the charm he had in his hand.

* * *

**Flash Back**

It was a long day of training, and the three youths decided it was time for relaxation; after all, tomorrow was the big day, so they thought it was best to share a night together looking at the stars before getting some good night's rest.

Pretty soon after a while, it was beginning to get even later. But, before resting up for the exam, Aqua had a little surprise gift she wanted to give before leaving.

"_Oh yeah," _Aqua said getting up walking, "_Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow." _

So, because of the day, what was better than to have a little bit of good luck on your side? As Aqua straighten herself up, she pulled out three unusual charms out of her two pockets smiling.

"_I made us good luck charms." _

The three charms were shaped like stars, though each one was different colors. One was orange, the other blue, and last but not least…green. Without further warning, Aqua then threw the orange one to Terra, and he successfully caught it in his hands.

"_Here," _she said cheery to Ven; throwing the green one to him.

Ven excitedly caught the charm with his hand, and looked at it in amazement. He thought the charms were only made for her and Terra specifically, in order to have some luck when taking the exam. So obviously since Ven was still too young to take the exam, he thought having one was out of the question.

"_I get one too?" _Ven asked cheerfully.

"_Of course," _she said happily, showing her own charm to them, "_One for each of us." _

"_Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. _

_So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like this, nothing can ever drive you apart." _Aqua then held the charm closer to her.

"_You'll always find your way back to each other," _she said turning, smiling at her friends.

**End of Flash Back**

* * *

After a second, a small smile appeared on Ven's face…remembering that day when he got his charm. Though, a thought popped in his head.

"_She mentioned star-shaped fruit," _Ven said in his mind.

He then turned his attention to the fruits that were hanging on the bent tree he and Van were sitting on.

"_I guess she was talking about this place," _he continued with his thoughts.

Ven then put the charm away and got a piece of fruit from the tree. Vanitas turned and saw that the fruit was in Ven's hands and wondered; Does he remember seeing that fruit? Or perhaps remember eating it?

After some thought, Vanitas figured maybe this was the key to trigger Ven's early forgotten memories…hoping to bring back the old Ven that liked him; if it was even possible, then maybe Ven would stop talking about Terra and Aqua constantly, and actually spend time with his other half without showing anger, fear or rejection in his eyes when looking at Vanitas. Van knew Ven was already giving him another chance, but still…the possibility floated around in his head.

"_Do you remember that?" _Vanitas asked, looking at Ven.

"_Mmm…no not really, it's just that, I remember Aqua was talking about these fruits sometime back…"_ Ven said, still having the fruit in his hands.

"_And due to being with Sora for a while now, I think these fruits are called…Paopu fruits…" _he continued.

"_So…that's what they're called…" _Vanitas said in his mind; he remembered eating one and even questioning what they were called.

"_Oh," _Van said out loud.

"_W-why are you asking me if I remember this though?" _Ven asked.

Vanitas wanted to tell him the reason why, but…he figured he would be wasting his breath since Ven wouldn't remember anyway. Yes, he told Ven _he_ was the one who took care of him before Terra and Aqua did, but when he did, Vanitas sensed a little bit of doubt when Ven was asking him again to make sure. Van could probably tell Ven everything that they did together in the past and it still wouldn't be enough; Ventus would continue to be in doubt, along with going back to his friends _when_ and _if_ they reunite with each other.

So because of this, Vanitas now wondered, _if_…perhaps Ven reunited with his friends…would Ven leave Vanitas? Then again, Van even wondered earlier if this was really the real Ven to begin with.

In the end, to not make things complicated, Vanitas decided to keep it locked away inside, and just wait. He lowered his head a little.

"_Oh no reason, just forget I said anything," _Vanitas said bluntly.

Ven continued to look at Van, it was clear in his face that Vanitas wasn't being truthful; he wondered why.

Ventus then gazed at the fruit again.

"_Your early memories are probably tarnished, but at the time when you couldn't function, I was the one who took care of you before your….friends," _Vanitas voice echoed in Ven's head.

_"__Mmmm…" _

Ven then held the fruit higher, and eventually took a big bite out of it. Once when he chewed it and swallowed…something…something struck inside his head. Because of this, Ven froze in an instant, leaving Vanitas baffled.

_"__Uh…Ven?"_ he said looking at him.

A very hazy memory went running back into Ven's mind. In the faint image, he saw himself standing, holding the Paopu fruit close to his chest. The blonde boy was smiling dearly towards another figure in the room, but since the image was growing staticky like watching a television screen, the figure wasn't to be seen. The only thing that Ven got from seeing the figure…was the outline of the person. He wondered…was that Vanitas?

Then that's when Ven remembered what he said to Vanitas earlier…

_"__After all, were __**like**__ brothers…" _his own voice echoed in his head.

He realized he said that statement so blindly, it wasn't true. It's because…they **are **brothers…having an unbreakable connection, or was suppose to have one.

After that, the memory faded, leaving Ven a little startled.

_"Ven?" _Vanitas asked again.

Though Ven continued to stay quiet, and as if more surprises couldn't happen, all of sudden, a sharp burning pain struck Vanitas' head. He was caught off guard; wasn't expecting it at all, so due to this, Vanitas got off the trunk and collapsed to his knees. Within every second, the deep burning pain was growing even more, causing Van to start screaming. He even put his hands over his head to try and stop it, though it wasn't doing any good; honestly to him, it felt like the whole world was spinning.

Ven broke out of his trance, and noticed Vanitas on the ground. With a worried look, he threw the half eaten fruit to the side and aid his brother; having one of his hands on Van's shoulders.

_"Van! Van, are you okay?!" _Ven cried out, trying to talk to him.

Though Vanitas ignored him, he was completely consumed with pain. And…due to this unexpected feeling, Vanitas was beyond angry.

Vanitas pushed Ven away,_ "__Stay away from me!" _he shouted.

But Ven continued to have a worried look on his face.

Then as if Vanitas was going to pass out, surprisingly, the pain suddenly stopped. After that, time really seemed like it slowed down. Vanitas couldn't hear anything, but the voice inside his head; he was just on the ground…frozen.

_"__Vanitas…" _the voice called out to him.

_"__S-Sora?" _he wondered in his mind.

_"Can you hear me?" _Sora's voice echoed.

After that, everything around Vanitas started to get hazy; the whole world around him was slowly disappearing. As this was happening, Vanitas just closed his eyes.

_"Yes…I can hear you…"_ he responded back.

* * *

Vanitas slowly opened his eyes and noticed he was in another place. He was surrounded by darkness, which of course for him was no surprise. As Vanitas looked over his surroundings, he found himself standing on a blue circular platform. Without really being worried, he already concluded in where he was.

_"Really Sora? Talk about perfect timing…" _Vanitas muttered; feeling annoyed crossing his arms.

In an instant, like magic, Sora appeared; he was quite happy that the connection worked, though that happiness quickly faded.

_"Vanitas!" _he said running over to him.

_"__Thank goodness, I need to talk to you," _Sora said, feeling worried.

_"Yeah what is it, spit it out," _Vanitas burst; wanting him to cut to the chase.

_"__By any chance, did you give me another nightmare?" _Sora asked.

Though with the question, Vanitas was a bit confused.

_"__I honestly don't know what you are babbling about, but I haven't been doing anything reckless if that's what you're wondering," _Van said waving his hand with a smirk.

_"__Oh," _Sora said; his eyes trailing off to the ground.

_"__In fact, I've been busy, catching up with Ven, but, because of your timing, it was interrupted," _Vanitas continued.

_"__I-I'm sorry Van," _Sora said apologizing,_ "__It just that…I was really scared and needed to talk to you." _

_"About?" _Van said looking uninterested.

_"Well the reason I ask about the nightmare, is because I had one recently and it was truly horrifying to even describe." _

_"And why is it too horrifying to describe?" _

_"It's…it's because in the dream…I lost the people I love." _

After hearing Sora's statement, everything was quiet. Vanitas never saw Sora looked so serious; at this rate, Van knew Sora was really frighten and troubled. Though something didn't quite click in his head, why was Sora coming to him?

_"And…since being polite doesn't fit my description, what does this have to do with me exactly?" _Van wondered.

_"__Well, you see, ever since the minute you stayed in this place, strange things have been happening to me. Master Yen Sid didn't think I was me, he thought I was a different person. _

_And then in the nightmare, I was being tortured to the point when I saw myself give into the darkness…because of that, my friends paid the price. _

_At first I thought the nightmare was some kind of guilt trip, since I didn't tell the truth about you to my friends, so I told my closet friend Riku that you were staying here…getting it off my chest. _

_But when I did, I sensed that he didn't trust you, and my judgment. Without a doubt, he probably thinks I'll end up falling in the dark as well; making me think that the nightmare is some kind of foreshadowing of the future." _

Sora then walked up, closer to Van.

_"__I'm not blaming you for any of this but, all this happened and I don't know what to do….I don't want to lose my friends. I promised you that I would help you, but I think I need your help as well," _Sora continued.

_"Ven was right," _Van said in his mind.

_"For all I know, you being here could put Sora in some kind of danger," _Ven's voice echoed in Vanitas' head.

_"This is slowly becoming too much for the boy," _Vanitas said in his mind; looking at Sora.

_"__Well, as far as I know, his light was so strong…it balanced out my darkness when I had control over his body. So…maybe I can do the opposite…to help him." _Vanitas kept thinking it over.

After all, he never helps anyone but himself; though, because he kind of made a deal with Sora, he had to consider it.

_"I can give him my darkness…my power, in order for him to have balance within his heart. But…the only way it would work without having it backfire, is that if Sora will accept it without fear. That way the darkness won't grow more than what is necessary." _

_"Sora, this is pretty rare in my cases, but…I'll help you. I have an idea," _Vanitas finally spoke to him out loud.

_"You gave into the darkness once…I want you to do it again," _Vanitas said sounding determined.

He then grabbed Sora's hand and held it up close to his face.

Sora's eyes widen in horror, and shook his head.

_"__No, I don't want to. This is the very thing I'm trying to avoid," _Sora cried out.

Then Vanitas gripped Sora's hand even tighter_, "__That's your problem right there, you shouldn't avoid it." _

_"If you don't even learn how to accept the darkness, then of course your nightmare will become a reality. The darkness inside you will grow vigorously and consume you. _

_And I know you don't want that. You need to have balance, you can't live in the light forever…sometimes you have to be in the dark as well," _Van said; his face moving closer to Sora's.

_"But…"_Sora said, still sounding unsure.

_"Come on, I know you can do it. After all, you survived a beating from me, all this will just be child's play," _Vanitas said; still having his grip on Sora's hand.

Though whatever Vanitas said, never really put Sora at ease. He still had that same worried look on his face; thinking about his friend's sake. Sora wondered; what if he can't control the darkness and loses himself? It all sounded too risky.

_"__But," _Sora continued; though he was cut off.

_"Look if you are that worried about your friends, then separate from them temporally. You'll have some time for yourself and won't do anyone harm," _Vanitas said; letting go of Sora's hand.

_"I guess…" _Sora said; his eyes looking down.

_"But then what do I say? I don't want them to think something is up?" _he continued.

_"You're looking for Ven's body right? Well just tell them you would have better chances of finding him if everyone went on their own search; and so no one will get suspicious, you can have those goofy idiots tagging along with you," _Van said.

_"Hey! Those goofy idiots happened to be my friends too you know,"_ Sora pouted.

_"Donald, Goofy…whatever…" _Van said rolling his eyes.

_"Understand the plan?" _he asked.

_"Y-Yeah I guess so, but before I go, I have one last question to ask you," _Sora said.

_"What is it?" _Van asked raising an eyebrow.

_"If I give into the darkness, and learn how to control it, could there be a possibility that I can make a portal that leads to the Realm of Darkness?" _Sora asked determined.

_"Mmmm…Well technically that can only be achieved if you are __**only**__ walking the path of darkness. For your sake this isn't the case, like I said earlier, we're doing this so you could have balance," _Vanitas said.

_"Okay, I see…" _Sora responded.

_"__Though, why do you want to go to the Realm of Darkness anyway? _Van asked.

_"Well, it's because there's this girl that is trapped there…and I feel like she needs my help. Her name is Aqua, it seems to me that there is more, but…I just can't seem to remember right now. Did you know her Van?" _Sora asked.

_"Damn that woman! First Ven was talking about her and now Sora…" _Vanitas said in his mind annoyed.

_"Yes…I knew her; she's one of Ven's friends. Though I'm afraid that's all I'm going to tell you. I don't really want to explain what relationship I had with her…so there," _Van said crossing his arms.

_"She was a real freaking pain that's for sure," _he said in his mind.

_"Okay, its fine, you don't have to tell me…I was just curious," _Sora continued.

_"__I think I can figure it out on my own," _he said in his mind.

_"Well…I guess I'll be going now, thank you Vanitas,"_ Sora said out loud.

Then Vanitas lowered his arms and looked at Sora with a smirk.

_"You shouldn't really be thanking me, we're not done," _Van said amused.

Vanitas then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Without warning, a dark portal appeared beneath Sora's feet. He was so surprised, that he ended up losing his balance and fell on his back; within time, the darkness started to wrapped itself around Sora, he tried to break free but couldn't move a muscle.

As he then turned his attention to Vanitas who was just standing there, Sora thought for a split second that Vanitas betrayed him, but no…he figured this was all part of the plan. To give into the darkness and control it…though it was so dark and terrifying, that he thought he was going to lose himself completely. Little by little, Sora was drowning in the dark.

Vanitas did nothing; remaining motionless, looking down at Sora.

As the darkness continued to grow, Sora's vision began to get hazy; strangely, he was starting to grow very…very sleepy.

The last thing he heard before closing his eyes… was Van's voice.

_"Don't be afraid…" _

After that, everything went into a total blur.

* * *

At this point, the darkness that was wrapped around Sora was starting to crush his body; making it harder for him to breathe. Because of this, many things were racing in his mind; he was scared. The darkness was trying to take over his mind.

_"D-don't be afraid…" _he said to himself.

_"Don't be afraid…"_

_"Don't be afraid…." _

_"Don't be afraid…" _

It kept repeating over and over. In the end, surprisingly, the feeling of him suffocating finally stopped. This…can only mean one thing; Sora had given into the darkness again. The darkness stopped trying to devour him; instead…he was now harboring it inside his heart. Now the only thing he can do...is to try to control it in order to balance out his light…

Though, it is very risky, because what if he can't control it and the darkness continues to grow, his light will forever be lost and he'll surely lose himself; walking the path of darkness.

* * *

_"Good luck…Sora…" _Vanitas said, looking up at the dim light.

After a second, he then closed his eyes and pretty soon, could hear the soothing sound of the ocean waves again.

* * *

_"Van? Van, wake up," _Ven's voice rang in Van's ears.

It turned out after making a connection with Sora, Vanitas passed out on the sandy ground.

Vanitas was slowly regaining consciousness as Ven continued shaking him; having a worried look on his face.

_"__Van?" _Ven continued.

Vanitas mumbled a few things, but after quite some time, he slowly picked himself up to his knees feeling a bit drowsy. As he had his hand on the side of his head, trying to stop the drowsiness, something unexpected completely caught him off guard. Ven threw himself towards Vanitas, giving him a big hug; it left Van extremely annoyed, yet at the time, confused.

_"Van, you're okay!" _Ven cried out happily, still hugging him.

The moment may looked sweet, though to Vanitas, he thought Ven was acting extremely weird, even though he's getting another chance, Ven wouldn't be this affectionate towards him at all. The last time Ven was ever like this…was when the two spent time together before separating.

_"Hey, get off me, what is up with you," _Van said, pulling Ven's arms away.

_"R-remember when you said I would never remember my early memories?" _Ven said.

_"Yeah…" _

_"Well, at first, the only things I remembered, were my training sessions with our Master, the time when you were born, and the time when I met Sora. Everything else was a total blur…until now…" _

_"What are you saying?" _

_"What I'm saying Van, is…I think I remember…" _

Vanitas' eyes then widen_, "__You mean…" _

Ven then shook his head yes, he couldn't help himself but hug Vanitas again.

As much as Vanitas probably wanted this more than anything; he couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt and uneasiness.

_"I'm having a hard time believing this…I mean he said so himself he valued his friends more than anything. If his early memories did come back, how does he see me now?" _Van wondered in his mind.

Then Ven let go of Vanitas and continued to talk.

_"__Well…then again, I wouldn't say all my memories are back, but they're coming back piece by piece," _he said scratching the back of his head.

_"Figures…" _Van muttered in his mind.

_"Yeah... I can see Sora's point more clearly now, you may have been bad, but the most important thing was…that you stood by me and took care of me, just like how my friends did," _Ven then put a hand on Vanitas' shoulder.

_"And I really appreciate that Van…thank you." _

Then Ven raised his hand, and surprisingly hit Van on the head.

_"Hey, what was that for!" _Van shouted; putting his hands over his head.

_"__And even though I do appreciate it…__**that**__ was for all the unnecessary things you did, putting me and my friends in danger," _Ven said.

After being hit, Vanitas still had that look in his eye, like if he was going to tear Ven to shreds. But, surprisingly, Ven wasn't the least afraid; to him, it oddly felt normal, like if the moment was a common thing between two siblings.

_"Well, you can blame the old man for splitting us in half, and then turning us against each other…" _Vanitas said annoyed.

_"__Oh don't worry, we'll soon teach that guy a lesson…" _Ven said determined.

_"Careful though, it seems like you're starting to sound like me…" _Van said extremely amused.

In response, Ven just did a small giggle, but after a couple of seconds, he then stopped.

_"Oh, by the way, what happen to you earlier, you just suddenly passed out, you really had me worried for a minute there," _he said.

Then Vanitas slowly got up to his feet, and Ven followed.

_"It was Sora. The reason I passed out was because I was briefly talking to him," _Van spoke.

Ven's eyes then widen,_ "__Well…what did he say?" _

At first, Vanitas was going to answer truthfully, but…then he figured that the truth would probably to do more harm than good. If Ven were to know that Vanitas helped Sora give into the darkness, Ven will probably jump the gun and won't let Van explain the reason for it and…well, let's just say things wouldn't be pretty.

Ven was in the process of remembering his early life…and Van didn't want to ruin that; he thought if this kept up, then…maybe…**he will change; **slowly becoming the big brother, looking out for his younger brother.

_"He…he told me he's in the search for your friend Aqua," _Van spoke.

_"Really! He knows where she is?" _Ven asked smiling.

Vanitas then turned to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. It took a second since it was something he never does and even hates it, but, Vanitas played a warm fake smile.

_"Yes, he knows where she is. I told you you had nothing to worry about. You'll see your friends soon." _

And due to feeling excitement, Ven nonetheless hug his brother again.

_"Rrrgh…still can't get use to this," _Van said in his mind.

As everything seemed quiet, Vanitas then noticed two vague figures walking along the shore of the beach.

_"Roxas and Xion?"_

* * *

Sora immediately picked up his head; opening his eyes. He was quite startled at first for a few seconds, thinking about what just happened. In the very back of his mind, he was surprised that the connection worked. And now that he found out that it was still possible to communicate with Vanitas, he wondered, was this a good thing…or a bad thing?

Then, like after waking up from a bizarre dream, he realized what he just done. Sora slowly sank into a panic, gripping his shirt; he let darkness within him grow. There were no signs of chances yet, but…Sora could no doubt feel the dreadful aura flowing underneath his skin.

_"__This is terrible…how did I even let Vanitas talk me into this!" _Sora said to himself.

_"I know Vanitas wanted my darkness to grow, so it can balance the light I have, but…what if I can't control it and the darkness grows more than what is necessary…" _

Sora then walked over to the door and quietly opened it a little; taking a peak outside. He saw that Donald was driving the ship, Goofy had fallen asleep on his chair, and Kairi was also in her chair, looking out the window with Riku and the King.

_"I think I made the biggest mistake of my life…" _

As Sora continued to look at his friends, all of a sudden, his deep sea blue eyes were diminishing; slowly changing into soulless golden eyes.


	20. To Move Forward

The figure looked down motionless; the features of the person couldn't be seen, due to the image of him growing hazy. As this kept up, darkness was emerging more rapidly…slowly clouding the young boy's mind. As the boy kept looking at the figure frighten; he wondered, what was he suppose to do? Give in, or fight back.

And…as the world around him started to fade, the boy started to drift into a deep sleep; merely surrendering to the dark depths that awaits him. He was afraid…what was to become of him?

As the boy kept scrambling with his thoughts, a voice…a familiar voice called out to him; saying these words that were the key to ease his troubling mind.

"_**Don't be afraid…" **__his_ voice whispered.

This was the only thing that was given to the boy, as he fallen deeper into his slumber.

But, as he kept stumbling deeper into the dark, images of his recent nightmare floated back vividly in his sleep. Seeing himself screaming and crying, watching his friends die…blood was truly shed in this horrendous dream. He was so scared; he wondered…is this dream just a dream…or was it a warning…some kind of foreshadow of the future.

Though in the end, as he was slowly wakening from the dream, the answer didn't come clear. He was still unsure. After all, everyone is afraid of what the future holds at times…

"**_Regardless of warnings…_**

**_The future shouldn't scare you at all..."_**

* * *

_What have I done?!" _

Sora slowly sank into a panic; to him, it honestly felt like time was frozen. Because of this sudden feeling, it seemed like it took him forever into trying to comprehend in what just happened.

The atmosphere in the room was so quiet, that he could hear the sound of his own heart beating; it may have been his imagination, but within every second, Sora swore he could hear the beating getting louder and louder.

"_The darkness…" _he uttered softly.

Sora then raised his hand, and gripped his shirt tightly; mostly feeling disgusted with himself. As time still seemed frozen, Sora took a couple of steps back, finding himself standing against a corner. It didn't really take a moment, until he finally sank down to the floor; having his back still against the wall.

"_The darkness…" _he whispered faintly; repeating the statement again.

At this rate, he knew, he knew that he gave into the darkness; the faint shadow that he always had in the dark depths of his heart…was now steadily growing within him. The question is now, will the darkness become equal to the light, or…try to surpass it.

As Sora continued to get his thoughts in order, he slowly started checking himself; seeing if anything about him has changed, luckily though, nothing seemed to be exposed; he still looked normal.

To think that this alone would put his mind at ease…well sadly, it didn't. It may have not been noticeable on the outside, but within…Sora could no doubtfully feel the dreadful aura flowing silently underneath his skin.

He could also feel the power it holds…to use it though, it was so tempting. Because of the sudden temptation, it brought Sora into complete doubt, thinking whether or not he could control the darkness within his heart. He was slowly becoming scared again.

"_This is terrible…how did I even let Vanitas talk me into this!" _Sora said to himself; hugging his knees with his arms.

"_I know Vanitas wanted my darkness to grow, so it can balance the light I have, but…what if I can't control it and the darkness grows more than what is necessary…" _

Because of being concerned…one thing suddenly came to mind; his friends. Sora cherished his friends more than anything in the world, and just thinking about the possibility of losing them, made Sora feel sick to his stomach; his life would truly end if he were to lose them.

"_Riku…" _he whispered.

Then without realizing it, Sora raised his hand and reached into his pocket; taking out, what seemed to be, a star-shaped charm. At first glance, the charm may look similar to the one Ven had, but if looked upon closer, the charm was quite different. What made the charm stand out…was obviously in how it looked; yes it was shaped like a star, but the material which help shape it…was made from seashells, unlike Ven's.

Sora held the charm tightly in his hand; gazing at its beauty. After all, to him, this wasn't any ol' charm…no…this particular one was special; it belonged to a friend…a friend that he deeply cherishes with all his heart. That feeling alone, is what made it beautiful and special in his eyes.

Sora then put the charm close to his chest…thinking… of _her_.

"_Kairi…" _he whispered.

It was crystal clear in Sora's eyes, that he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Eventually after a while, Sora put the charm back into his pocket and slowly got up from the floor. To Sora, time was at a standstill, but after some time letting the events sink in, as he was up from the floor, time slowly continued to move forward.

Since Sora was thinking about his friends, he wondered what they were doing. So with the thought in mind, he found out that his body was already moving towards the door; mostly being like a zombie since his mind was somewhere else. As Sora finally walked over to the door, he quietly opened it; taking a small peak outside.

When looking around, everything seemed pretty peaceful and normal. He saw that Donald was driving the ship, Goofy had fallen asleep on his chair, and Kairi was also sitting in her chair, looking out the window with Riku and the King.

Within seeing this, a warm smile appeared on Sora's face; just knowing…seeing that his friends were alive…was enough for him. Though, the smile quickly faded, making him remember the dreadful nightmare again; he didn't want the nightmare to become a reality…and…now after realizing in what he just done, Sora couldn't help but think that the nightmare might happen.

"_I think I made the biggest mistake of my life…" _Sora said to himself.

Then, as Sora continued to look at his friends, all of a sudden, his deep sea blue eyes were diminishing; slowly changing into soulless golden eyes. Darkness was drawing near, slowly clouding his mind, but, as this was happening, a voice broke out.

"_If you don't even learn how to accept the darkness, then of course your nightmare will become a reality. The darkness inside you will grow vigorously and consume you. _

_And I know you don't want that," _Vanitas' voice echoed in Sora's head.

Hearing this, made Sora shut the door, take a few steps back, and eventually closed his eyes; shaking his head.

Sora then rested his hand on the side of his face; opening his eyes, taking a deep breath. In the end, he was almost taken by the darkness, but luckily, he quickly snapped out of it.

His dark golden eyes diminished; changing back into pure ocean blue. After a second, Sora then put his hand down and turned it into a tight fist; determination and seriousness was now reflecting in his eyes.

"_No! I'm not giving up that easily," _Sora said in his mind.

"_If Riku was able to control the darkness once, then I can too. Somewhere out there, people are counting on me to help them. _

_I-I just need to face the darkness; to stop being afraid, to stop thinking about the negative things. I have to try and think positive." _

After Sora reinsured himself, a thought quickly struck him.

"_Riku! Crud!" _

"_Riku knows about the darkness since he dealt with it before, and since I some-what gave into it, he could probably identify the aura if he were to come close to me. And who knows what he'll do if he finds out…" _

Sora could just imagine the possibility of what could happen, and after some thought; he realized it wouldn't be pretty.

"_As much as it hurts…I have to keep this a secret; for their sake," _Sora then did a small sigh, "_Looks like I'm really going to have to follow Van's plan then." _

After having his thoughts in order, Sora was calmer.

"_Huh, with all this going on, I wonder if we're close to Disney Castle," _he wondered.

So due to his curiosity, Sora walked over to the window and saw out; seeing if they were close to landing. Nothing really seemed to change as he was looking out in space, but then again, it was space after all. Even though there wasn't much to look at, there was something about the essence of space that seemed to be mesmerizing. Sora just couldn't figure out why.

Maybe the reason for it…was because of the fact of seeing millions of stars in the faint distance; each one giving off its individual glow. Simply beautiful, to say the least, though, who would have thought it, that the stars were a fragment of a world. Knowing this now, really took Sora back on his early adventures.

Just traveling to each world…determined to find his friends, it made Sora chuckle a bit, since when he first met Donald and Goofy for help, they didn't really see eye-to-eye, especially when it came to him and Donald, but now….after all that they have been through together; it seems that the three became inseparable; making Sora value them as much as he valued Riku and Kairi.

As Sora kept staring at the stars in the distance, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"_Mmm…now that I think about it, I wonder if my home is still gone. I…remember Van destroyed it…but…what if it some-how came back. I mean, my Key-blade was re-created after we stopped fighting, my heart was restored after Van gave my body back so…maybe there could be a possibility. _

_That way Kairi could stay there so no harm could come to her. I know she'll probably hate me for it since she wants to help, and I don't blame her for that, but…I'm just worried for her sake," _Sora said; thinking among himself.

After all, it was only an idea, he wasn't really certain if he would leave his friend there to begin with.

"_Well…I guess I been in this room long enough, I don't want my friends to think something is wrong…but I'm going to have to keep my distance from Riku, I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it though." _

Sora then turned, walked over to the door and opened it; eventually he stepped out and closed the door behind him. He then continued to walk over to join the others and was happily greeted.

"_Hi Sora, how was your nap?" _Kairi turned, facing Sora.

"_Uh, good…good, I just needed to rest my eyes for bit, but I'm fine," _Sora said; using his usual cheerful voice.

Kairi then did a slight giggle, "_Good, I was wondering, so I told Riku to check up on you, and he told me you were sleeping." _

Sora then smiled, scratching the back of his head, "_Yeah well, what can I say…I guess I kind of sleep a lot don't I," _he said jokily.

"_You lazy bum," _Kairi responded back; joking as well.

She even got up, and started messing up his hair playfully.

As the two kept on, Riku was still sitting in his chair slightly far away, looking at them. Though, it didn't really take long until he focused his attention more on Sora. Just seeing him smiling and laughing, Riku couldn't shake the thought of what Sora said to him earlier.

"_I didn't defeat Vanitas, like you did, I'm carrying Van's heart inside me," _Sora's voice echoed in Riku's head.

Thinking about it, Riku just couldn't picture the sight of his friend harboring a dark being inside his heart. Honestly, to Riku, his response is probably, man, what are you thinking? But in the end, Riku felt like he wouldn't understand Sora's intentions, even if he tried to; but tossing all that aside, he couldn't help, but continue to worry about his friend's sake; believing he could be in danger.

As Riku kept eyeing his friend, Mickey took note of this, and turned to him.

"_Riku, what's wrong? Is there something troubling you?" _the king asked; feeling concerned.

At first it seemed like Riku was in a trance, but he quickly snapped out of it, and turned to the King.

"_Well…"_ Riku said hesitantly; rubbing the side of his neck.

He kept thinking it over, should he tell Mickey what was going on with Sora, or should he just put up a fake smile and say that everything is alright. As Riku's thoughts kept tangling up with one another, trying to find a suitable response, Riku nonetheless lowered his head; letting a sigh escape his lips.

"_Can we talk about this in private," _Riku whispered; leaning over to one of Mickey's ears; luckily Sora didn't notice since he was being occupied, talking with the others.

Mickey still had a concerned look on his face, but, it wasn't really much of a problem for him to pull out a smile.

"_Sure, why not," _the king said; looking at his companion.

So with that said, Riku and Mickey got up from their chairs.

"_Hey Sora," _Riku called out.

Sora nonetheless turned, "_Yeah?" _

"_I'll be right back, I have to go and do something…tell us when we're close to landing okay?" _Riku said to his friend; though as he was saying this, he was slowly walking away.

Sora showed a hint of confusion, but quickly responded, _"Uh…okay." _

Though, after responding, Sora didn't really turn back to his other friends; as he was seeing Riku and Mickey leave to another room, Sora had a hunch that the conversation the two were going to have, was probably going to be about him…making Sora feel slightly uneasy. After all, Riku is pretty smart to not let these kind of things go unnoticed; which makes Sora wonder, can he really keep the whole darkness thing a secret towards him...his best friend?

But, after seeing the two disappear, Sora eventually turned back his attention to Donald who was driving.

"_Come on Donald please, I want to drive just for a little while," _Sora pleaded; though Donald didn't budge.

"_No! For the last time, I'm not letting you drive this ship. Besides we're almost there," _Donald yelled.

Sora then crossed his arms and ended up sitting in another chair; giving his usual angry, yet adorable look.

Kairi giggled a little and turned to Goofy who had woken up a few seconds ago, "_Are the two always like this?" _she asked.

"_At times, but uh, you kinda get use to it after a while," _Goofy said to Kairi.

Then Kairi turned her attention back to Sora and gave a warm smile.

* * *

"_So, what was it you wanted to talk about in private?" _Mickey asked walking into the room.

As Riku closed the door behind him, silence between the two quickly filled the air; for some unknown reason, Riku just didn't know where to start, or even know how to start it. He remembered vividly that Sora wanted the meeting between them two to be a secret, and as a friend, Riku promised to himself that he would follow Sora's wish to not tell anyone in what they'd talked about…but when it comes to the point of his friend possibility being in danger, it almost felt right to break that promise.

Then again, Sora said to not tell Kairi, he didn't say about not telling anyone else, this statement was probably the loop- hole Riku needed, so when Sora finds out, he won't really be mad since Riku would say he wasn't being specific. Having this thought in mind made Riku feel a little better, but not fully, since he couldn't shake off the feeling of going behind Sora's back. It was only a matter of time, until Riku found his voice again.

"_I-I think Sora still could be in danger…" _Riku finally spoke.

Mickey gave a slight confused face, "_Huh, is that the thing that is troubling you?" _

Riku then titled his head slightly, "_Yeah, it is….you see your Majesty,"_ though he was cut off.

"_Riku, you know you don't have to be so formal," _Mickey said.

"_Uh…sorry…you see Mickey, the reason I'm worried is because…well, all that talk about Sora being fine, was merely a lie," _Riku said.

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Well, when I went to check up on Sora, he looked so frighten and guilty, that he told me what was going on with him. After all this time, it came to my attention that he wasn't truly free from the darkness._

_And the reason for that is because he's harboring that demon," _Riku raised his hand; forming it into a tight fist.

"_Demon? Oh, you mean Vanitas? I thought Sora got rid of him,"_ Mickey's eyes widen.

Riku then closed his eyes and shook his head, "_No, he's still alive, Sora told me so, at first I thought he was joking, but…when I looked into his eyes…they were serious as can be." _

"_Did Sora tell you why he did that, keeping Vanitas inside?"_

"_Well, he was going off saying that he wanted to help Vanitas, since it had something to do about seeing his past…but…I don't know, there's just something about that guy I don't like, nor I even want to trust him." _

"_Mmmm…I see what you mean."_

Mickey then sank deeper into his thoughts.

"_Maybe…maybe there's a chance that Xehanort still wants Sora as the last dark vessel. But knowing Xehanort, kind of hard to say really…" _Mickey said still thinking.

"_That's why I'm worried; I don't know what to do Mickey. I know Sora's intentions are probably good; since he's being himself, in another words, following his heart, but…I just don't want him to get hurt, and suffer what I went through," _Riku said; his voice heavily dripping with concern.

"_Mmmm….well…I don't know what to say Riku. The only thing I can probably think of is to just keep a close eye on Sora. There's nothing we can really do, except that," _Mickey concluded.

Riku then lowered his head a little; his eyes trailing down to the floor, "_I guess."_

To Riku, Mickey's words were basically like saying, there's nothing to do except sit back and watch what happens, and Riku hated those words. He couldn't just sit back and watch that demonic being tear Sora's body from the inside out. No, he can't, he felt like he needed to do something…but the thing is, what? But then again, it was also difficult as well, since Sora has faith in Vanitas and Riku doesn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, saying what Sora is doing is wrong.

"_You really care about him, don't you Riku?" _Mickey said giving a calm smile.

Riku then raised his head, looking at Mickey slightly baffled; he thought…what kind of question is that? Since in the end, the answer was so obvious.

He then gave a slight chuckle, "_Well of course I care about him, he's my best friend," _Riku said; giving a smile in return.

"_Maybe even more like a brother…" _he said in his mind.

"_Then, as his best friend, you should have a little more faith in Sora. I'm sure things will turn out good in the end," _Mickey continued.

"_Yeah, okay…thank you Mickey," _Riku said.

"_No problem, well, we better get back to the others," _Mickey said, already walking to the door.

But before the King turned the knob, Riku spoke, which made him stop.

"_Oh, and Mickey, this conversation is only between us. I don't really want Sora to know that we were talking about him, I don't want to alarm him or anything," _Riku said.

"_Sure, okay."_

* * *

As Riku and Mickey walked down a short hallway to greet the others again, surprisingly, they found someone by the hall waiting for them; the figure revealed itself to be Sora.

"_Oh, hi guys, Donald told me to let you know that we're near the world, and to get ready for landing," _Sora said cheerfully walking to them; though at the same, keeping his distance.

"_Okay, thanks Sora, we better get ready,"_ Mickey then started to run and passed by Sora.

Pretty soon, as he kept running, he was gone, which just left Sora and Riku.

"_M-may I ask what the two of you were talking about?" _Sora wondered.

It took a second or two for Riku to answer, but he at least said something.

"_Oh nothing really, we were talking in where the other lights could be. You know, to maybe continue our search somewhere else," _Riku said; thinking the statement up quickly.

When Sora heard those words, he then took a little gulp and found himself shrugging his shoulders, "_Yeah….about that Riku…"_

"_What?" _he asked.

"_I-I was thinking, because of those people we have to find, maybe…maybe it would be better if we separated; you know, do our own searchers in finding them, I believe it would be quicker that way," _Sora said.

"_Mmmm…not a bad idea," _Riku said thinking it over.

"_Though I think it's best to hold it on this idea until we land. So we can discuss it with everyone," _he finished.

"_Okay that's fine," _Sora said; his eyes slightly looking down.

"_Well, we better go meet with the others," _Riku said walking towards Sora.

"_What was I thinking, I can't hide this aura from him," _Sora said in his mind.

Sora then lowered his head a little, not moving from where he was standing. As Riku slowly walked passed Sora, his eyes widen in shock. He sensed it…he sensed the scent of darkness; the dreadful aura was coming from…Sora? No, Riku couldn't believe that…he thought, maybe talking about Sora being in the darkness, started to cloud his mind; blinding Riku enough to start imagining things.

But…the scent, it seemed too familiar; like if he smelled it before. As Riku turned his attention to Sora, he saw that the aura was visible now, engulfing Sora's body. Riku did nothing, but stood there frozen in shock. And then as if things couldn't get any worse, Riku then saw Sora slowly turned to him, but when he did, he was no longer himself. Sora had turned into Vanitas. Vanitas ended up giving a chuckle, and greeted Riku with his usual smirk.

"_No!" _Riku said shutting his eyes, but…as soon as he opened them again; he was now seeing a vision.

* * *

Everything that Riku saw…was nothing but flames surrounding him; fire had already destroyed and consumed everything in its path. As Riku was seeing the flames, in the faint distance, he eventually started to hear the insane laughter again; from Vanitas no doubt.

"_Sora!" _Riku called out to his friend; though the only response was more laughter.

Then, as if by magic, the flames in front of Riku descended, forming an opening for the figure to walk through; as the figure revealed itself, Riku was beyond stunned. This was really the first time Riku ever saw Van's face; he didn't think he looked like his best friend at all. Vanitas just looked at him, giving Riku a cold glare while carrying someone familiar in his arms.

"_Sora! _Riku cried; acknowledging him.

Sora looked completely beaten up and lifeless in Vanitas' arms.

After seeing this sight, Riku wanted to summon his Key-blade and do something, but, for some odd reason, he just stood where he was…frozen. Vanitas obviously took note of his weakness; Riku wouldn't hurt Van if he had Sora with him, making Van able to use him as a protective shield. After all, Riku would never hurt Sora…his best friend, or would he, if he became one with the darkness.

But in the end, the thought eventually slipped through Van's mind. Displayed in his cold eyes, the outcome didn't matter; in his eyes, they read, as long as he had **the ****key** in his grasp, he couldn't care less about anything else.

"_As of now, this boy belongs to me," _Vanitas finally spoke; smiling evilly.

"_No!" _Riku then ran towards Van, but failed when the flames grew in front of him; making Riku unable to pass.

Since he was so close to the fire, and since the flames appeared quickly as well, the sudden brightness blinded him; making Riku shut his eyes.

* * *

"_Riku?! Riku?!" _a voice called out to him.

Riku then quickly snapped out of his trance and saw that Sora was kneeling down close to him.

"_Sora, you're okay," _Riku said calmly.

"_Uh…yeah," _Sora said confused, "_I was going to ask if **you** were okay, I mean, one minute you were walking passed me, then the next thing I knew, you got scared, looking like if you seen a ghost, and ended up falling on the floor," _Sora said extending out his hand; aiding his friend.

"_What happened?"_ Sora continued.

It took a moment, but Riku finally took Sora's hand and was back on his feet again.

"_I…I didn't know what came over me, I guess I thought I saw something, but...it turned out it was just my imagination," _Riku said giving a weak laugh.

"_Should…should I really tell him?" _Sora wondered in his head; thinking about coming clean to his friend.

"_I wonder what he saw though, he looked so frighten," _he continued; trying to figure out what Riku must have seen when he was near him.

As Riku cleared his mind; he figured out that he wasn't sensing the dark aura anymore; it was like, one minute it was there, and the next thing he knew, it just disappeared. He wondered, what just happened….the vision that he saw looked real, yet in reality it wasn't, since Sora said he just fell down to the floor with a stunned expression. After a second, Riku concluded it must have been his imagination, but, with the convincing vision he seen, he officially doesn't trust Vanitas, one thing is for sure, Riku has it in his mind that he needs to keep a close eye on Sora.

"_I guess Van's right, I think I really need to stay away for a while, the dark aura Riku sensed, probably_ _had a negative effect on him; making him see something he fears…"_ Sora concluded.

"_Well, we better go, the others are probably waiting," _Sora finally said out loud; leading the way.

"_Okay, sure…I'm right behind you," _Riku said following.

It took time, but after arriving and landing safely, everyone got off the Gummi ship, and was welcomed back in Disney Castle.

* * *

"_So…what's our next plan?" _Kairi asked; as everyone was settled in the Library.

"_Well…" _Sora said stepping in, "_Master Yen Sid said, that it was important for us to go, and investigate in Xehanort's whereabouts," _he said reminding the gang.

"_So since he's back, I'm pretty sure he'll be causing some kind of mischief in others worlds… who knows, they could possibly be in danger," _Sora continued.

"_You're probably right Sora, but along with that, we still need to find the other lights as well," _Mickey said.

"_Well…I told Riku this already, but he told me to wait until now, so, I was thinking, maybe it would be best if we all formed separate groups. If we all spit up, and do our own searches, surely we'll get somewhere, and it will save some time," _Sora responded back.

After hearing Sora out, Mickey was thinking it over. It wasn't a bad idea, though the king wasn't too sure of himself.

"_So then it would be…" _Mickey said.

"_It would be me, Donald and Goofy, while the other would be you, Riku, and Kairi," _Sora said jumping in.

"_Two teams then..." _

"_Yeah…" _

Then Kairi turned to Sora with a worried look, "_Sora, are you sure about this?"_

"_I'm positive," _he said turning to her.

"_Well…I guess it's better than nothing, I can use my star shard, while you all can take the Gummi ship," _Mickey said; finally agreeing to the plan.

"_Then I guess it's settled then," _Riku said; though, he just wasn't too comfortable with the idea.

After the plan was made, there's was no time to spare. As Donald got the ship ready once again, Goofy boarded, only leaving Sora to board next. But before he did, he wanted to say a couple of good-byes to his friends before departing.

He walked up to Kairi giving his usual smile, "_Don't worry, I'll be back, and this time you'll be with Riku," _he said cheering her up.

Kairi slightly looked down, but then quickly picked up her head; she didn't really want Sora to leave her, but something inside her knew that he had to do this. So instead of being sad, she gave a warm smile.

"_Just remember, no matter what, I'm always with you," _Kairi said moving closer to him.

Sora then remembered the charm Kairi gave him; it was safe inside his pocket. At this moment, he knew, he knew as long as he had the charm, Kairi would always be with him. After a second, Kairi then gave Sora a hug good-bye and while this was happening, Donald and Goofy were just watching, more likely thinking, "Yup, the two are truly an item," though in the past, every time that it was brought to Sora's attention, he would blush red and deny it.

As Sora and Kairi were still holding each other, Kairi couldn't help but stare into his eyes. It didn't take long, until the two were moving their heads closer and closer to one another; hopefully going to share a passionate kiss. But sadly, the moment was ruined once Riku came walking into the picture.

Once when Sora and Kairi spotted their friend, they both let go of each other.

"_Well…I guess I'll leave you two alone…see you soon Sora," _Kairi said smiling.

After that, Kairi left, leaving them alone once again.

"_I'm coming with you," _Riku said, stepping forward.

He looked pretty determined in his eyes as Sora was looking at him.

Sora then gave a sigh, "_Look Riku, I know that you're worried about me, but…sometimes I have to do things on my own, I'm pretty sure you know that feeling."_

But Riku didn't really say anything.

"_Come on, you can at least have a little more faith in me," _Sora said smiling, walking up to him.

"_That's the same thing Mickey said…I do have faith in him…but...that vision…"_ Riku said in his mind.

"_Riku?" _Sora called, since it looked like Riku was spacing out.

"_I do have faith in you,"_ Riku said out loud.

"_But...since I can't go then, promise me this one thing," _he continued.

"_What is it?" _Sora asked.

"_Just promise me you'll be careful," _Riku said; putting his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"_I promise…" _Sora said smiling,

"_And…I guess like you said to me before, take care of Kairi," _Sora continued.

"_No worries, she'll be safe with me," _Riku said.

After the two said their good-byes, Sora boarded the ship. As it was slowly taking off, Sora had his attention towards one of the windows; seeing Riku waving good-bye; as he was seeing this, it only came naturally for Sora to do the same thing.

_"Be safe..." _Riku whispered.

* * *

Quite some time had passed and Donald was asking about what world they should be heading to now. As Sora was hearing him talk, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He eventually got off his chair and walked to Donald who was driving.

"_Hey, do you mind if we stop at someplace first, I kind of want to see something," _Sora said.

* * *

Time...time is the past...time is the present...time is the future. Time never stops and continues to move forward, no matter what. But...in this world, time is at a standstill, you can say maybe that... there is no time; since, it feels like you been in this world for maybe...a few seconds...minutes...days...or even years? Wandering in this world...you feel like you're disconnected from the outside, in a way, its only natural to feel that way, since time flows differently in this world.

The water continues to drift steadily; nearly touching the tip of the woman's feet. The water felt comforting to the woman, but...it still wasn't enough to break her out of her thoughts. She just sat near the shore, hugging her knees, while staring aimlessly at the moon.

At first, when she ended up here, her spirit wasn't broken; she had it in her heart, that she would somehow break free from this dark world, and rescue her friends. Though as time seemed endless to her, her spirit was slowly breaking; she was starting to believe that she would never see her friends again, and that this dark world..this prison...was now her new home.

But then...there was a man, a man that she never knew; he told her that there was some-one out there...fighting...willing to keep the light safe. Just hearing this man's tale, made the woman's eyes lit up with hope, a feeling that she thought she lost; resulting for her to shed a tear...a tear of hope...a tear of happiness.

At first she thought this some-one could be one of her friends...but no...the man told her it was another. The man eventually said the boy's name, which left the woman smiling, to her, it almost felt like yesterday, when she met that same boy on the islands. Honestly, who knew _he _was the one, who was destined to save the hurting.

A boy who is pure as light, and uses the strength of his heart to fight.

_"Sora..." _his name escaped through the woman's lips once more.

All this was playing in her mind like a flashback, she was certain that Sora was going to save her and her friends, but..now that she's thinking about it; she slowly starting to lose faith again. The reason for it, well...she had it in her mind that maybe, she couldn't be saved, no one can reach the realm she is trapped in, it's impossible for some-one to get here. So in the end, her spirit was broken.

But...the woman still wanted her friends to be saved; so after having much thought, she was willing to sacrifice the one thing that was important to her; her key-blade.

After a while, the woman finally got up and reached out, the Key-blade appearing in her grasp.

_"Master Eraqus' Key-blade," _she whispered; looking at it.

_"This key is what I used to recreated our world, so Ven could have a peaceful place to sleep, if Sora finds this Key, he'll be able to break the seal I've created and go to his aid," _she continued.

The woman then turned her attention to the ocean, and after a second, back to her weapon.

_"I'm positive Sora will find this key and Ven, I just know it. We can't be at a standstill, we have to move forward..."_

The woman then walked closer to the shore, slowly kneeling down. As she did this, she lowered the Key-blade into the water, and within time, the tide took the blade away, no longer in the woman's possession.

Pretty soon after a while, she didn't see the Key-blade anymore; though her gaze was still to the moon.

_"Ven...I'm sorry. I may not make it back at all. I promised I'd be there to wake you up...but...things aren't really going as planned. _

_I may not be there by your side when you wake, but don't worry, another will._

_He'll be the one to wake you up..." _

A smile appeared, while a tear started to shed upon her face.


End file.
